You Can Breathe
by stargazr
Summary: AUFlack story with appearances from the other CSI's. FlackOFC. Some DL. Girlfriend and girl friend are two completely different things, right? Chapter 102 posted August 31st!
1. Chapter 1

Welcome to my first attempt at a chaptered story. Well, first attempt in a long time. This little thing has been floating around in my head for about a week now, amd I finally started to type it out late last night. So here's the first chapter. Meet Flack as a kid ;) This story will feature Flack/OFC and probably D/L in later chapters once they...grow up. Duh. Anyway! Read/review, let me know if I should continue or not! 

He was the type of kid growing up that would pick on people. He only did it because he could and he liked to see how far he could push someone. He liked to get a rise out of them. It wasn't that he was mean natured in any way, most of his friends did the same thing back to him after all. There was pushing on the playgrounds and on the basketball courts, the immature name calling in the lunch line at school, the playful punches and smacks on the walk home at the end of the day.

It escalated sometime around the end of 6th grade, when he started to figure out that girls didn't really have cooties. There was a new girl in school named Emma. She was quiet, too quiet for Don Flack Jr's liking. She sat in the back of the class, doodling in her math notebook and staring longingly out the window. Her dark hair was worn in two braids and went almost all the way down her back. Of course, since he was sitting beside her he couldn't help but reach over and tug on one of the braids. She turned, looking at Don as if he'd grown a third head and she glared at him. Next thing he knew, he was on the floor beside his desk, rubbing at his cheek from where she'd punched him. She'd punched him! A girl had punched him! Oh great, his friends were never going to let him live that one down. But he did get a strange sort of satisfaction from watching her be led out of the classroom, no doubt for a trip to the principal's office. Of course, he wasn't too thrilled when he was pulled up and forced out of the classroom as well.

The two of them sat side-by-side just outside of the office that held their doom. Neither knew what was going to happen to them, although what they had wouldn't really constitute as a fight since only one person did the hitting. Don was scowling, his blue eyes narrowed as he concentrated on his dirty sneakers. If he came home with a suspension, his father would kill him. And really, how dare a girl hit him!

The female of the two was doing her own bit of scowling and glaring at the floor. The guy had pulled her hair after all. And her parents had always taught her that if someone did something to her first, she could hit them back. He'd gone out of his way just to be a jerk to her. She was new, not even at the school for three weeks. Being new was hard when you came into a school where you knew no one and no one was exactly nice to her. Emma was new to the whole state of New York, moving there from Georgia with her mom after her parents divorced. Her father was still back in Georgia, as far as she knew, but she really hadn't had any contact from him in a couple of months. So now it was just her and her mom, which was weird and hard all at the same time. Add in attending a new school and Emma was one confused and anxious child. She wasn't so sure she liked New York, at least not yet. The people were different, the streets were different, the house they lived in was completely different. The kids at her school weren't so nice, especially the blue eyed/dark haired boy sitting next to her.

Both looked up as the door to the principal's office opened. Their principal was a taller, heavy-set man who had to be in his 40's with graying hair and mean looking dark eyes. He motioned for them to come inside. Don was the first to stand and he took a couple of steps forward before glancing back at her, noticing she hadn't moved. She looked terrified. Don rolled his eyes, maybe some girls still had some cooties that made them act completely weird. "Are you coming or what?" He finally asked.

Her brown eyes met his blue ones and she nodded once, pushing herself to stand from the chair. He let her walk in front of him into the office and took one of the empty seats in front of the principal's desk. The man sat down and Emma stared at the nameplate that read "Mr. Matthews" and thought that his name didn't fit him for some reason. He looked like a Mr. Meanness maybe but not a Mr. Matthews. She tried to pay attention as he started to talk.

"Do either of you want to tell me what happened?" He asked, eyeing both of the children.

Emma chewed nervously on the inside of her lip. She'd never been in trouble before, at least not this bad. It wasn't like her to hit someone but he HAD done something to her first and hair pulling hurt! She folded her hands in her lap, about to open her mouth to try to explain herself when Don spoke up first. "I uh..pulled her hair in class," He all but mumbled.

Mr. Matthews raised an eyebrow, glancing at the young girl. "That true Emma?"

He knew her name? That was scary. But Emma's head shot up, her eyes wide. She nodded, stuttering out a soft "y..yes.."

He nodded, looking back to Don, "Then what happened."

Don let out a loud sigh, wanting to know where all of this was leading already. He wanted to know if he was going to be suspended and end up getting his butt beaten when he got home. "Then she hit me.." He shrugged, "I don't really blame her though."

Mr. Matthews was fighting a grin, knowing how Don Flack Jr. could be. He was a bit of a handful but really was a nice kid, just got a little too rough in his version of horseplay. And now a girl had actually put him in his place. He just nodded, grabbing a stack of papers on his desk. He scribbled something on a few slips of paper, handing one to each younger person. "You both have detention for the next three days, after school."

"That's it?" Don asked, surprised since he figured it'd be a ton worse than just detention.

Mr. Matthews raised an eyebrow again, "Do you want something else Mr. Flack?"

Don shook his head quickly, standing up. "No no, detention is fine!"

Emma stood up slowly, reading over the paper. She'd never had detention before, she didn't know what to expect. Mr. Matthews looked at her, "Emma? No more hitting. If you have trouble, go to one of your teachers."

She turned a light shade of pink, nodding her head before she turned and followed Don out of the principal's office. Both were quiet until they reached the hallway, noting that there was 10 minutes left of their class. Don tucked the piece of paper into his pants pocket, "So uh...I'm sorry for yanking on your hair or whatever."

She was still looking over the paper, but looked up when she realized he was actually addressing her. Emma smiled some, noting the bruise forming on his left cheek. "Well..I'm sorry for hittin' you." She shrugged her shoulders, "You're actually the first person I've hit before.."

Don grinned, "Nah it's not so bad. Guess we should get back to class, huh?"

Emma started to follow him down the hallway to their classroom. "Hey..so what's this detention thing?"

Don laughed, mostly at the 'weird' way she tended to talk rather than at her question. "Kinda like a study hall, only we're supposed to think it's punishment. It won't be so bad."

"Oh..and hey what are you laughing at!" She scowled again, swatting him with the piece of paper.

Don's laughter just continued to filter down the hallway as they kept walking.

And so began the unlikely relationship between a Georgia girl and a New York boy.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2! I had this written up so I figured I'd go ahead and post it. We skip ahead a few years in this one to high school. Don't worry, I'll stop skipping around so much once they're "real" adults_.

* * *

Senior year of high school came and ended in what seemed to be a blink of an eye. Flack had grown out of the slightly gawky kid into a tall, well-built young man who was looking to follow in his father's footsteps as a cop. It'd been what he'd been dreaming of since he was a little kid, after all. Emma had grown up too, growing out of being a quiet and shy girl into one that was popular and often outspoken. The two of them had stayed friends throughout their school years. Most of their friends figured Don would actually ask Emma out but, he always insisted that they were just friends. 

Emma had been dating some guy from the football team for almost the entire school year, much to Don's chagrin. He didn't like the guy. He knew what guys thought about, he was one after all. He knew the guy, Marko, was no good for her. But he was the good guy friend who didn't say much about her relationship, he just smiled and nodded his head. Don had had his fair share of girlfriends throughout school but most didn't last more than just a few weeks, maybe a month. Emma said he was picky, which was maybe a little true.

Don wandered up the steps to the house where the latest "last blast" Senior party was being held. He'd only been told about it a few hours before, when one of his friends had called wanting to know if he was going. He wasn't one to miss a party, and they were getting ready to graduate so it was a good opportunity to see people he most likely wouldn't see after graduation. He walked inside the house, pushing past people as they practically spilled out the door. A cup was shoved into his hand and he carried it around but didn't take a drink out of it. Instead, Don dropped it off on an empty table once he found one. He waved to some people, said hi to some people, but he didn't really stop until he reached the back porch.

It was a little quieter out on the back porch and in the small backyard but people would most likely be spilling out into it after awhile. He found Emma sitting down on the bottom step, her knees pulled up towards her chest. Don sighed, knowing why she was out here all alone and he took a seat next to her. He stretched his legs out in front of him, glancing over at her, "So.."

Emma smiled just a little, looking down at her hands. "I didn't think you were coming."

"Yeah well, it isn't a party until I show up." He grinned, nudging her with his shoulder.

She laughed softly, "Don.."

"What! I'm serious." He shook his head, "You know me by now. So what are you doing out here all by yourself? Where's the big,bad boyfriend?"

Emma rolled her eyes, "Off with his new girlfriend probably."

"What?" Don raised an eyebrow. Now this was a new revelation. He wasn't usually all into the school gossip or anything but this was something huge, surely he wasn't the last to know. "What happened?"

"Hell if I know. He said he couldn't really see himself with me anymore. Said something about how I wasn't his type. So if I wasn't his type then why was he dating me all year, huh?" She leaned her head against his shoulder, "Why are guys such jerks?"

He didn't have an answer for that as he was a little distracted by the sudden onslaught of the scent of flowers. He realized it was the shampoo she was using and he closed his eyes, trying to memorize it just for a second. He opened his eyes, looking at the top of her head. "Em, I don't know. I'm a guy and half the time, I don't understand why we do what we do."

She nodded, "She's some cheerleader, one of the blondes. It's just not fair. I mean, I wasn't in love with the guy or anything but if I wasn't his 'type' maybe he should've decided that before I wasted a damn year on him."

Don chuckled softly, amused at how when she was mad or upset just how thick her accent was. She'd been in the city for years now and still had that Southern accent that was too cute to not make fun of. He kissed the top of her head and stood up, pulling her with him, "Well come on. There's no point in wasting your time thinking about a jerk like him. I didn't like him anyway."

"Where are we going?"

He shrugged, "Go get some food maybe. I don't know, but c'mon..this is boring anyway."

She smiled and nodded her head, "Okay. Thanks Don.."

Don just smiled and lead her back through the house and out the front door. The two of them wandered down the street, eventually finding a small diner to hole themselves up. He tried to listen as she rambled on about her failed relationship with Marko. "Marko the Jerk" as she kept referring to him. It was hard for him to concentrate as he was still distracted from smelling her shampoo earlier. His friends would make fun of him for years if they could hear his thoughts then. Sure he cared about Emma, she was one of his best friends. He knew he could tell her just about anything and she'd keep it a secret and try to help him with whatever it was. He was conflicted on a lot of things though. Mostly on why it had to be now that he seemed to be attracted to his female friend. Now of all the times in the world. Now when he knew she didn't feel the same way (especially after getting burnd by Marko the Jerk) and when he was about to go off training to be a cop.

So, Don kept his mouth shut and never let on about his feelings and how they might have changed. The two of them sat in that diner until well past midnight before they finally left, Don walking Emma home quietly. And as they departed for the night, Emma reached up to hug him and kissed him on the cheek with a soft, "Thank you Don. For everything."

He waited until she'd unlocked the front door and disappeared inside before he turned to go towards his own home. He was lost in his thoughts, knowing in a few short days he might never see Emma again. She was going off to college, no doubt to cause trouble on a whole other campus. He wasn't sure what he was going to do without their random phone calls at 3 a.m. to ask about chemistry homework or their stupid arguments they tended to have when Emma wanted to do something Don knew wasn't going to end good for either of them. And he might not admit it to anyone, but he'd definitely miss the way her hair smelled.


	3. Chapter 3

So did you all know it's hard to get any work done when you've got a chapter screaming to get out? Yeah well, me neither. But here we go with chapter 3. This has been working it's way out of my head since the other night too. We do skip ahead about 5 years after Flack and Emma's high school graduation. I'll try to put a little note up if there's any more skipping ahead, just for general information.

I'd also like to say a quick thank you to the people who reviewed the previous chapters. I was a bit nervous and anxious to post this so thanks! And enjoy the new chapter:)

* * *

"Harder damnit!" 

"I can't _go_ any harder, Emma."

"Well it's supposed to go right in there, you know."

"Yes. I know. Quit bitching and let me do it."

"That hurt you know."

A loud sigh. "Yes. I am sorry. Now let me finish!"

"Don't be mean!" A loud _SLAP!_ sound echoed through the small apartment.

"OW! What the hell was that for!"

"You're being really mean."

"Emma. I am not being mean. I'm just trying to attempt to hang this damn picture for you!"

She sighed, her hands perched on her hips as she glared at him. Don was glaring back at her, a hammer in one hand while the free hand rubbed his arm where she'd hit him. He shook his head, turning back to the wall where he was trying to hang up a picture she'd just had to have. It was turning into a bigger job than he'd anticipated and he was about ready to throw the thing out a window and hit her up side the head with the hammer. But, he clenched his jaw and went back to work.

Once the picture was finally hanging, almost twenty minutes later, Emma threw her arms around Flack's neck. "Thank you," She mumbled against his shoulder.

"Yeah yeah. Next time get someone who knows what in the hell they're doing." He tried to sound mad but it just didn't work too well. He pulled away from her, moving to put up the nails and hammer he'd been using, "I gotta get to work here in about an hour."

Emma smiled, looking at the picture of the ocean hanging on her wall. She'd found it at a yard sale for two dollars and well, she could never turn down a bargin. She looked back at him, "you're working all night? Again?"

He laughed softly, "Yeah. Some of us do have to do things like that."

She nodded, biting her lower lip out of nervousness. They were nearly 5 years out of high school and Don was working as a beat cop for the NYPD. It was the beginning stepping stone for him to get up to detective, which was his whole goal. She was nervous for him, not liking when he worked weird and overnight shifts. She worried. But it was his dream and he loved it.

He gave her a look before walking closer to her, kissing the top of her head in a very brotherly fashion. "Don't look at me like that. I'll be fine. You watch too many of those cop shows."

Emma laughed, nodding, "I know. I really do. So..dinner tomorrow night maybe?"

"Not just dinner, we have to celebrate!" Don grinned, turning away from her to gather up his things.

She'd nearly forgotten about her own college graduation. That'd bea great thing to forget!It seemed to take forever and a lot of tears and frustration but she was finally doing it. Emma rolled her eyes, "Uh oh. Does that mean a group trip to the strip club?"

The image of Emma on stage in a strip club flashed through his mind and he couldn't help but smirk. "That'd be cute Em, real cute. You gonna wear some of those 10 inch clear heels?"

"How do you know what they wear!"

A couch pillow went whizzing by his head and he cracked up, leaning against the wall as he laughed. "I wasn't being serious Emma! Geez."

She glared at him for a moment before laughing. "Your face was hilarious. But really, what are we doing tomorrow? Since we have to celebrate and all."

"Well I'm going to get you roaring drunk, I don't know about me."

"Please wear your uniform, then we'll get in anywhere free and no one will mess with us."

He laughed, moving to the door and opening it. "You just want me to give you a lap dance in uniform."

Emma's eyes lit up and she grinned, walking after him, "Oh yes please Don, oh please!"

He snorted, stepping out into the hallway. "I'll call you when I get off work."

"Be careful?" She asked, something she'd made a habit once he started working on the streets.

Don smiled as he headed for the stairwell. "Em, I'm _always_ careful."

* * *

Graduation came and went with little fanfare on Emma's part. She was just happy to be done with school and have that little piece of paper in hand that said _'yay you're a graduate!'_. Her mom and a female friend of hers, Marissa, came back to her apartment with her once the ceremony was over. Her mom had moved back to Georgia the year before so it wasn't very often Emma got to spend time with her nowadays. She could tell her mom, Linda, wasn't too thrilled with her apartment. It was small and cramped but it was in Manhattan, and that's all Emma cared about. Plus, it was hers. 

Marissa and Emma had met in a history class both were required to take their first year of college. They got along wonderfully, each having the same sense of humor. But that was where the similarities ended. Marissa was loud and hyper all the time, and she had no problem being outgoing and spontaneous. On the other hand, Emma could be quiet and shy (even if she did have her loud and outgoing moments) but she wasn't near as spontaneous. She had to think things over before she did i anything /i . But somehow, the two young women got along.

Marissa made herself at home, wandering into the kitchen to find something to drink. Emma led Linda through the apartment, showing her the bedroom that was located near the back. Linda sighed, "Are you sure you want to live here?"

"Mom, it's not so bad I promise. And if worse comes to worse, I'll hire Don and he can just sit outside my door in his uniform." Emma was changing out of the dress she'd worn to graduation. It wasn't that she disliked getting dressed up, but she was just more comfortable in jeans.

Linda looked out the window that peered over the street below. "Is Don coming over?"

"We're supposed to go out with him and some of his buddies from the precinct. Not sure what we're going to do," Emma's voice sounded muffled as she was buried in her closet, digging out a shirt she wanted to wear.

Her mother smiled, moreso to herself than anything. "Does he have a girlfriend, Emma?"

"Mom. Seriously." Emma came out of the closet, her eyes narrowed some before she held up the black top she'd bought the week before. Funny how one little article of clothing could get lost so quickly. "I don't know if he has a girlfriend or not."

Marissa had wandered in by that time, perching herself on the end of Emma's bed. "Who are we talkin' about? Flack?"

Linda nodded, "Does he have a girlfriend?"

"I have no idea. But I know a ton of girls who'd definitely like to get with him." Marissa smiled, falling back on the bed, "that man is hot."

Emma laughed, "You just want to get in his pants." She looked at her mother next, "And don't do getting any ideas. Him and I are just friends."

Linda and Marissa watched as Emma left the room to change in the bathroom, no doubt also fixing her hair as well. The two shared a look, with Linda grinning, "Yeah right."

Marissa laughed as she sat up. "They just need to hook up already and get it over with."

Linda tried not to laugh, although it was hard not to. Marissa might have been correct on that one.


	4. Chapter 4

Hello! So we're up to Chapter 4, oooo! I tried to upload this yesterday actually but had some technically difficulties so we're going to try this again. No skipping ahead on this one really but I thought it was important to have them actually go OUT to a bar/club. And hey, Flack at a strip club..come on now!

So I hope you all enjoy this little bit, and thanks to the reviewers! I'm glad you all are liking it so far :)

* * *

Emma knew it was a bad idea to let Don and his three friends pick which club they went to after the whole group (which included Marissa too) had spent a few hours in another bar near Emma's apartment. Of course, the guys were up for going to a strip club and surprisingly Marissa was into it as well just for the hilarity of it all. Both girls had been drinking, although Emma was a little better off than Marissa who whooped and hollered every time a new girl would come on the stage. Don was next to Emma, laughing at his friends as they drooled over the girls. 

He leaned over to Emma, talking in her ear so she'd be able to hear him over the music. "Never thought I'd see you in a strip club."

She laughed, elbowing him gently, "Hey it wasn't my idea! I was content to stay at that other bar--"

"While that guy hit on you!" Don cut in.

"_Yes_ but I was content to stay there. Least I didn't have some woman's boobs in my face." Emma snorted, looking over as Joel, one of Don's cop buddies, was getting a lap dance from a blonde.

Don raised an eyebrow as he watched the scene in front of them. Emma was sure that if she looked close enough, she'd find him starting to drool. She rolled her eyes, reaching over to grab her drink off the table. All in all, the night had turned out great and she was having a blast. The guys were all nice and funny, she could definitely see why Don had taken a liking to them. She elbowed him again, mock-glaring at him when he turned his head to look at her. He'd been drinking like they all had so his blue eyes had taken a glazed look. He smiled slowly, "What?"

Emma just shook her head, laughing, "Nothing. You were just about to start drooling though."

He scoffed at that, "No way. I was just..."

"Admiring the view? Enjoying the dance? Trying to learn some new dance moves?"

Don laughed, "Yeah I can totally move my hips like that now, thanks!"

Emma looked up as Marissa stumbled over, obviously a little more drunk than first thought, and plopped herself down on Emma's lap. "Did you see that blonde? How hot was she! I think Joel wants her number."

"I doubt she'd give out her number, it is her job after all," Emma pointed out.

Marissa threw her arms around Emma's neck, "you should get up there!"

"Me! What the hell, I don't think so!"

She giggled, looking over at Don. She leaned over towards him, nearly knocking Emma in the face with her elbow, "Flack! Tell her to get on stage!"

Don shook his head, pushing her back in the other direction. The alcohol as permeating from her and was so strong, he could swear he was getting more drunk just from breathing the air. "No way, I am not telling her to do anything."

Marissa stood up, wandering back to Joel and planted herself in his lap. Emma shook her own head, looking over at him, "Get me a little more drunk and I might be up there before the night's over."

He grinned slowly, looking between her and the stage. He stood up, the grin still on his face, "I'm going to have to go buy you one of those girly drinks."

Emma laughed, reaching out to catch his arm, "NO! No way!"

Don just grinned, pulling away from her. "We'll just see about that. I know exactly what to get you in order to get you good and drunk." And with a wink, Don disappeared towards the bar.

* * *

Emma stumbled over her feet as her and Don made their way up the street towards his building. He was insisting on her staying with him that night, if only because the two of them were slightly inebriated. He reached out to catch her arm, "Whoa Em where are you goin'?" 

She giggled at the fact that his accent was even thicker after he'd been drinking. She was going to have to try to remember to tell him that when they both weren't drunk. "What?"

"You tripped!"

"Yes? And?" She looked up at his building when they finally reached it, "Do we really have to go up all those stairs?"

"Nope. Elevator works, hopefully." He grabbed her arm and pulled her inside with him, the two of them walking in silence to the elevators.

Emma smiled, leaning against him. He was tall enough that her head just hit his shoulder, which of course meant he was perfect for taking a quick cat nap on. "I hope Joel gets Marissa home okay," She said softly.

"Yeah he will. Joel's a good guy." The elevator doors opened a few short moments later and Don put his arm around Emma, pulling her inside with him. He hit the button for his floor and then leaned back against the wall. "Did you have fun?"

"Well I wasn't seriously thinking we'd be going to a strip club but yeah, it was a lot of fun. I'm glad you guys could come out with us."

He laughed, "I didn't think we'd go to a strip club. I was just kidding about that."

She just looked at him for a moment before shaking her head, crossing her arms in front of herself, "Yeah right. You know you wanted to see the girls dance around in little or no clothes."

He gasped dramatically, holding a hand over his heart, "Emma! How could you think that? I am a gentleman."

She snorted at that, laughing as she put a hand out to steady herself. "You might be a gentleman but you're still a man!"

Don rolled his eyes, it _really_ hadn't been his idea to go to the strip club. He would stick to that story, if anyone asked. It was the other guys' fault. The doors opened again and he led the way down the hall to his door. He had to struggle a bit to get the door open but once he did, he let her go in first.

His apartment wasn't much bigger than hers and had even less furniture than Emma's did. It'd been fairly cheap and was in an old building but at least it had an elevator that sometimes worked. He wasn't there much since he worked most of the time but it was a good place to crash in front of the tv and watch a baseball game.

Emma kicked off her shoes, sighing in relief, "My feet are killing me."

He chuckled, heading into the kitchen to find some water. He knew if he didn't start sobering up soon he was going to have one hell of a hangover the next day. Emma followed a moment later, "Do you have clothes I can borrow to sleep in?"

"Nah. Thought I'd just let you sleep in your clothes. Or you know, naked."

She grabbed her own bottle of water, opening it and taking a drink before she said anything. "You'd like that too much."

He laughed, "Possibly. But yeah I think I can spare some clothes for you to sleep in. Go look, you know where everything is."

With a nod, she left the kitchen and disappeared in the direction of the bedroom. Don downed about half of the bottle of water before setting it aside.

He was in the process of making up the couch for him to sleep on when Emma emerged from his bedroom. She'd changed into an old t-shirt of his and a pair of boxers. She lifted up the end of the shirt, pulling the waistband of the boxers out as far as she could, "So do you house more than one guy in these things or what?"

He looked over at her and laughed, his clothes were way too big on her frame. "Not my fault you're a shrimp, Em."

"Hey now! Watch it. I know where you sleep," She said, putting her hands on her hips.

"Yeah, on the couch tonight."

She shook her head, sitting down on one end of his makeshift bed, "No way. I can sleep out here."

"No, you're not. Take my bed," He said with a shake of his head, glancing over at her.

"Please! You've got to actually get up tomorrow, sleep in your bed." She waved him off, proceeding to lay down on the couch.

Don sighed, "Emma. I'm serious, go sleep in my room."

She mocked him, rolling onto her back, "No way. Sleep in your own bed. I swear, I'll be fine out here."

He knew arguing with her was futile. It always was! She would pout and whine and complain until she got her way. In a lot of ways, she was more stubborn than he was. But finally, Don leaned down, kissing her forehead, "Fine. I'll see you whenever we wake up."

She smiled, grabbing the blanket and pulling it over her, "Thanks. See you in the morning."

He turned off the light as he headed off to his bedroom, turning once to glance at the darkened living room. She did have to look all cute in his clothes, didn't she? He turned and kept on into his bedroom, closing the door softly behind him.

* * *

He shouldn't have been surprised to be woken up a few shorts hours later, just as the city was beginning to brighten with the new day. Emma was clammoring into bed with him, sighing softly as she slid under the covers. Don opened one eye, looking over at her, "what're you doing?" 

His voice was thick with sleep, which meant everything coming out of his mouth sounded like one big mumble. Emma shook her head, "couch was uncomfortable."

He smiled some but closed his eye, throwing his arm around her to pull her closer. "Told you I'd sleep out there," He mumbled mid-yawn.

She curled up against him, closing her eyes and hoping for a few more hours of sleep. "Don. Shut up."

He would've had a smart ass'ed response to her but, Don was already on his way back into dreamworld and Emma wasn't too far behind.


	5. Chapter 5

He woke up to find himself in a tangled mess of sheets, pillows, arms, and legs. Don lifted his head and immediately regretted it, laying it back down against the pillow that was still under his head. Emma was sound asleep next to him, one of her legs thrown over his and her arms were nearly around his neck. How they'd ended up in _that_ position, he didn't know and he didn't think he wanted to know. His head felt like it weighed a ton and it was beginning to pound as his eyes adjusted to how bright his room was. There would definitely be no drinking, at least not until the next weekend of course.

Somehow, Don managed to slip out of the confines of his bed without waking Emma up. All she did was shift onto her stomach and bury her face in his vacated pillow. He laughed to himself, wobbly making his way into the kitchen to find some aspirin for his headache. The couch still had the blanket and pillow on it from where Emma had attempted to sleep the night before. He knew how uncomfortable the cheap piece of furniture could be, but sadly it was looking pretty comfy. He was contemplating sleep while he searched for the bottle of aspirin that he knew existed in his cabinets.

Finally, he popped a couple of the little white pills and made his way back into the bedroom. Emma was no longer asleep, instead she was sitting up in the bed half-covered by the blankets and sheets. She looked at him bleary-eyed and reached up, patting her hair down. She smiled sleepily at him, "did I wake you?"

He shook his head as he climbed onto the bed, flopping down onto his side, "No. I was about to ask you the same thing."

Emma shook her own head, trying to get her hair to stay down instead of sticking up all over the place. Don was getting comfortable again, his eyes were closed and he looked relaxed. "Nope. I didn't really know where I was when I woke up though...and then I remembered."

"I got aspirin if you have a headache," He mumbled.

She took the opportunity to lay back down next to him, sighing softly as she closed her own eyes. "Nah I think I'm good."

Don opened one eye, noticing she was next to him again and he smiled some. "You know we should really get up and actually do something."

"Yeah but this is way more comfortable." She covered another yawn, "and just think, you can brag to all your friends about how we slept together."

He laughed, reaching over to poke her in the side with one of his hands, "Shut up Emma."

She let out a squeal and moved over to the other side of the bed, rolling onto her stomach to get more comfortable. "Fine. You stay on your side, I'll stay on mine."

He nodded, his eyes closing again, "Sounds good to me..."

* * *

They both woke up later in the afternoon, still tangled in the sheets and blankets of Don's bed. Again he woke up first, slipping out of the bed to go take a shower. His head didn't feel like a lead weight anymore so that had to be a good thing. Grabbing some clothes from the dresser, he ducked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. 

Emma woke up a few minutes later, stretching cat-like out in the bed. She covered a yawn and rubbed a hand over her face. Luckily, she had no ill effects from the night before but she was content to lay there and listen to the shower. She eventually pushed herself up and out of the bed, making her way into Don's kitchen to find something to drink. Everything about the situation she was in was screaming "domesticated bliss" and she had to laugh. Here was she in one of her best friend's apartments, dressed in his boxers and t-shirt, having just slept in his bed. Marissa would squeal loudly and demand to know every dirty detail, even if there were none to give. Which is why Emma decided she was not going to mention any of it to her, Marissa would jump to conclusions. She was of the opinion that people of the opposite sex couldn't be just friends, even though Emma and Don had known each other for years. And while Emma would admit that Don was good-looking, she was damn sure she was no where near to being his type. Most of his other girlfriends had been tall, leggy blondes after all.

She heard the shower shut off and knew Don would be out in a few minutes. She needed to get her clothes and make herself look somewhat decent before she headed back to her own apartment. Her mother would probably be thinking all sorts of sordid, soap opera-like thoughts and of course, Emma would have to listen to them. She smiled, wandering back towards the bedroom to find her clothes. Don was coming out of the bathroom at the same time, dressed in a pair of jeans and another t-shirt. He smiled when he saw her, nudging her with his hip as he made his way around her, "Feeling okay?"

"Yeah I feel fine. No hangover or anything." She laughed as she sat down on the edge of his bed, "I think sleeping for an extra couple of hours definitely helped."

He nodded, "I hear you on that one. I think I might actually be able to survive at work tonight."

Emma moved off the bed as she went to find her clothes from the night before, "You work too much. Can I take a quick shower?"

"Sure. Although..I don't own any of that fruity stuff you use," He said making a face.

She snorted from inside the bathroom, poking her head out of the doorway, "I'd be worried if you used bodywash that smelled like strawberries or something."

"Hey now, maybe I'm hiding it and you just don't know." He grinned, "Go shower. I'll walk you home when you're done."

Emma laughed, closing the door to the bathroom, "I'll find the flowered bodywash if it's the last thing I do!"

Don just shook his head with a smile as he went about his apartment, picking up from the night before. He had a long shift and a long couple of days ahead of him and usually never had the time to pick up as it was. It was a little strange to have Emma stay over at his place this time around, mostly because it almost felt like they were playing house or something equally as strange. He sat down on the couch and turned on the tv, flipping through a couple of channels as he waited for Emma to finish getting ready.

* * *

_AN: I'm not totally thrilled with this chapter since it's mostly filler :-x I should update with another chapter (or two!) within the next day or so though, so hopefully I'll be a little more thrilled with those chapters. Thanks for the reviews guys, they've been awesome!_


	6. Chapter 6

AN: So the first part of this chapter is a flashback which is why it's in italics. So anything from here on out in italics will probably be a flashback. I only stuck this in here because it's been in my head the past couple of days and work! Once again, thank you for all the reviews and kind words, they really do mean a lot to me. Oh and just one more tidbit of info, we've skipped ahead again so now Flack is at least a detective. The other characters on CSI: NY will be making appearances soon, because well..who can forget Mac or Stella or Danny, right? _  
_Anyway, enjoy the chapter and thanks in advance for reading!

* * *

_He could hear Mikey Rogers picking on her. He could see it vaguely from where he stood on the edge of the school building. He had a high, nasal-ly voice and was one of the more annoying kids in class. Him and Don had never gotten along and often butted heads, especially when Mikey was acting like an idiot. Emma was still 'new' to the school, to the point where not many of the kids talked to her. Mikey just liked to make her life a living hell. School had just ended and while a lot of kids had either gotten on their respective buses home or begun walking home, some were still hanging around complaining about a math test or talking about what so-and-so was wearing that day. Don was hanging out with a couple of his buddies, figuring out whether they were going to go to his house for an after-school snack or head to his friend Dougie's place. _

_He could hear Mikey's voice, drifting up from the front steps of the school. He'd cornered Emma, making fun of her 'weird' accent and the way she wore her hair. Emma's face was a bright red but Don couldn't tell whether she was just really mad or about to cry. Then he saw Mikey reach out, tugging roughly on Emma's ponytail. Emma had backed herself up against the wall, her eyes narrowed at Mikey as he loomed over her. Don took that as his cue. Sure, he didn't know whether he liked the new girl or not but Mikey was just an idiot. He stomped over to the two, yelling out, "Hey Rogers, leave her alone!"_

_Mikey turned, rolling his eyes when he saw Don approaching. "Aw why, she your girlfriend? You would go out with a whore like her."_

_Emma's eyes widened and Don could feel himself burning with anger. They were old enough to know that was a word that'd get you grounded and sent to your room without dinner, although none of them really **knew** what it meant. Don stepped up to Mikey, both boys about the same height. Then without another word, Don punched him square in the jaw. And before anyone could run and find a teacher, Don grabbed Emma's hand and pulled her away with him. Emma was quiet until they rounded the corner from the school, at least a good block away. That was when Don finally stopped, turning towards her, "You okay? He's a jerk, no one likes him."_

_She nodded, daring to glance at him, "I'm fine. Th..thanks for...you know."_

_Don grinned then, nudging her with his arm, "No problem. He's been asking for it since the third grade believe me."_

_Emma laughed then, looking behind them, "Will you get in trouble?"_

_Don had started to walk again, motioning for her to follow him. "Nah. If someone goes and tells, I'll just blame it on you."_

_"Hey!" She exclaimed, hurrying to catch up to him. _

_He laughed, throwing his head back as the two walked. "I'm kiddin'. I wouldn't do that to ya, at least not 'til I know you better and all that."_

_Emma was fiddling with the strap on her backpack, "You wanna come over to my house? I mean...you don't have to or anything."_

_Don shot her a grin, "Yeah sure. After all, I am your bodyguard now. I expect to be paid by massive amounts of cookies too."_

_

* * *

_

Don covered up a yawn as he made his way down towards the break room, hell bent on grabbing some much needed caffeine before he fell over. He had no idea why he was randomly remembering things from when he was a kid, although he had an inkling that it had to do with Emma busting out her photo albums the last time he'd seen her. She'd actually made him sit down so she could show him pictures he could barely remember taking. The worst had to be their eighth grade "graduation" where he looked pissed off and uncomfortable in the suit his mother had made him wear. And his hair was _horrible_. Emma had cracked up, of course, because in her picture she looked like the perfect little child.

Filling a styrofoam cup with coffee, he paused to lean against the counter. He finally had a break in his shift, which was a nice change of pace. It'd been nearly two years since he was made detective and it seemed like he was working harder than ever. At least he wasn't stuck in the NYPD uniform all the time, so then he could avoid Emma's jokes about him joining the Village People. The caffeine was already helping to wake him up, as it was nearing 2 a.m. and he had a long night ahead of him. He thought of calling her just to bug her but it was late, and she'd have his head if he woke her up. But then he remembered...she'd had a date that night. He should be a good friend and call to see how it went, right?

On his way back to his desk, his cell phone began to ring from inside his pocket. Don grabbed it on the second ring, recognizing the number as Emma's cell phone. _'Speaking of the devil,' _He thought before he answered. "How was your hot date?"

There was a loud sigh and he could hear her stomping around some place that he guessed was her apartment. "Seriously, who thinks it's cute to grab woman's ass?"

He laughed as he sat down at his desk but then he paused, his eyes narrowing some even though she obviously couldn't see him, "Want me to go kick his ass?"

"No. So we went out to dinner--oh wait, are you busy? You're not like..hovering over a dead body, right?"

Another laugh came from him, "No. I'm at my desk, please continue with the gossip."

"Shut up Don. Anyway, we went out to dinner and he seemed pretty decent. Well that was before he had about five drinks. So then we went to this bar down the street and he got absolutely plastered and couldn't keep his hands to himself. I got sick of it so I was nice enough to put him in a cab, then I came home. Total waste of a night if you ask me." She sighed again, "So how's your night?"

"Been pretty slow so far. 'Though now that I say that I'm sure I'll get a call." He chuckled softly, "sorry your date went bad."

"Eh no big deal, you know? It was nice to get out on the town a bit, even if it was for just an hour. So have you heard from the girlfriend?"

He almost audibly groaned at the mention of his girlfriend. Christianna was a tall blonde from Manhattan that he'd met in a bar about eight months back and they'd been dating for about four now. Her and Emma didn't get along, mostly because she saw Emma as a threat..even if she wouldn't admit to it. To her credit, Emma had tried to be nice to her when he'd introduced the two of them but now even Emma was sick of dealing with her. Christianna was spoiled, to put it mildly, and was used to getting her own way. They'd been fighting constantly for the past two weeks, mostly because she was pissed off that Don couldn't just drop everything to go out with her. "No I haven't. Kinda glad, to be honest," He answered Emma after a moment.

"Uh oh! Trouble in paradise?"

He laughed, "Shut up Em. She's just been extra bitchy lately, though I have no idea why."

"Probably because she's PMSing."

"Yeah you can say that. If I said that, I'd seem like some insensitive jerk."

"Oh well. Say it! It's just me." She laughed, "Look I better let you go. It's late and I think I might actually be tired. Plus I don't want you to get in trouble."

"Naah, like I said it's been fairly slow tonight. Want me to call you when I get off in the morning?"

"Yeah sure. We can grab some breakfast. Just..don't call before like..9 a.m."

He shook his head with a smile, "All right. I can do that. Bye Emma."

The call was disconnected a few moments later and he slipped his cell phone back into his pocket.

* * *

10 a.m. rolled around and Don was finally making his way home, thankful that he had the next couple of days off to catch up on his sleep. He was wired from all the caffeine he'd had during the night so he knew he wouldn't be sleeping just yet. He'd called Emma and they were going to meet for breakfast at a small diner she loved. It was about a block and a half from her apartment and she seemed to eat there constantly, mostly because the food was good but it was also cheap.

He reached the diner first and took a booth near the back, ordering another cup of coffee to start with. His phone rang again from inside his jacket pocket and he groaned inwardly hoping it wasn't something back at the precinct that needed him. But when he saw the caller I.D. he groaned, loudly this time. Somehow he wasn't in the mood to hear his girlfriend's voice either but, he answered anyway.

"Mornin' Chris," He said before covering a yawn.

"Oh good you answered! Are you off of work now?" Don grimaced, wondering how one person's voice could be so loud and obnoxious at 10 a.m.

He sighed before answering, "I just left actually. I'm meeting Emma for breakfast."

"Oh." Christianna sounded put-off, as if he'd scheduled breakfast with Emma on purpose just to piss her off. "Well do you think after you see her, again, that you could make time for your girlfriend?"

He rolled his eyes, smiling when he saw Emma enter the diner. She spotted him and headed back to the booth, sliding in across from him. "Yeah I'm sure I could. How about you come over my place later, we'll watch a movie or something."

Emma knew who he was on the phone with, especially with the faces he was making and the tone of voice he was using.

"Donnie, I don't want to go watch a movie. Come out with my friends and I, we'll go shopping."

He shook his head, sitting back some as the waitress brought his coffee over and set it down in front of him, "Chris the last thing I wanna do right now is go shopping. I'm tired. How 'bout you call me when you all are done shopping and we'll go grab a late lunch?"

Christianna must have relented because he hung up the phone a moment later. Emma had her head buried in the menu, looking it over to decide what to order. She looked up when he set the phone down on the table, "Morning sunshine."

He gave her a tired smile, "Morning to you too."

"So I'm guessing that was my favorite person in the world?"

He nodded, opening his own menu to look it over. "Yeah I think we're gonna get together later."

"Well good. You didn't tell her you were out with me now, did you?"

He smiled a little sheepishly, keeping his head down as he tried to decide between waffles or an omelet, "I did."

Emma groaned, shaking her head, "Never tell your girlfriend you're out with a girl-friend."

"Uh..okay Emma. What are you going to get?"

She laughed, "Nice change of subject. I'm probably going to get some pancakes and bacon because that sounds good right about now."

He smiled, looking over at her, "I'm the master of changing the subject. You know that."

"True. So how was work? Arrest any bank robbers or serial killers?"

Their waitress appeared to take their orders before he could answer. Once the older lady was gone, he started to talk, "Nah like I told you it was pretty slow. I went up with one of the other guys to question this idiot they suspected attacked this woman at a club last month. Fucker was on the run for three and a half weeks but swears he didn't do it." He shook his head, "I don't think I'll ever understand people."

Emma smiled as she poured a sugar packet into her coffee, "I don't think we're meant to understand people."

He nodded as he looked down at his coffee, growing quiet. Emma watched him for a moment before she looked around the diner that was mostly empty. A few other people were near the front eating their own meals but other than that, Don and Emma were by themselves. He finally looked at her, "Yeah I don't think I'll ever figure people out. But the evidence points to that guy, so he can swear all day long that he didn't do it and that doesn't mean anything."

"Oh I agree with you there," Emma said with a nod of her own head. "He could be lying his head off and well, it sounds like he is."

"Yeah so can we change the subject to something much happier?"

She smiled, "Of course! So what are you and Christianna going to do today?"

Don gave her a look, "Is that really a happier subject?" But he eventually smiled, shrugging his shoulders some, "I dunno. I think she's pissed that I won't go shopping with her and her crew of Barbies. I'm honestly ready to go home and go to bed though so I told her we could maybe do a late lunch."

"And of course that doesn't really make her happy.."

"Of course not!" Don laughed, "Nothing makes her happy unless it's her idea. But she's just going to have to deal with it. I'm sorry, but shoe shopping is not my idea of a good time.."

Emma shrugged as she sat back in the booth, "I dunno Flack. That sounds like a good idea to me.."

He grinned, "Yeah well we all can't have your shoe collection. Or Chris's for that matter...god that woman can shop."

Both grew quiet as their food arrived and they dug into their plates. Emma was pushing her pancakes around on her plate, "So...random question, but are you happy with Christianna?"

"Yeah.." He nodded in affirmation, "Yeah. I really like being with her."

She smiled, "That's good Don."

"Why? I mean...okay, I _know _she can be a huge bitch." He picked up his coffee cup to take a drink, setting it back on the table.

"I don't know. I was just asking. I mean, I know you complained about not having time for a girlfriend because of your job. And yeah she can be a bit of a...bitch. But I don't think she's all that bad, usually." Emma laughed, "I don't know! I guess I was just curious."

A smirk crossed Don's face, "Uh huh. You're just upset that you can't get in my pants.."

Emma's eyes widened and she grabbed a sugar packet, throwing it across the table at him, "You wish!"

He ducked the sugar packet, looking over his shoulder as the sugar packet sailed into the booth behind them. Although they were lucky that it was empty, so they wouldn't have to deal with any irate New Yorkers that morning. He laughed, "I was joking!"

"Better have been!" She shook her head, going back to picking at the food still on her plate, "Jerk."

"Yes but you still keep me around." Don smiled at the waitress as she dropped off the check, reaching into his pocket for his wallet.

Emma smiled, reaching over to grab the piece of paper before he could get his wallet out all of the way. She threw down some bills onto the table, still smiling at him, "Well..I might need my bodyguard one of these days."


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry this took me longer to post, had a little bit of writer's block and then I got busy with end of the week stuff at work (yay!). But, I'm planning on dragging my laptop with me later so I can get some more of this done. So with any luck, you'll get more than one chapter later on :)

* * *

Now _this_ was the life; sitting on the couch with a beer in one hand and the tv remote in one hand. The tv was playing SportsCenter and re-capping that day's baseball scores. The Reds had lost...again, the White Sox and the Yankees had both won. He'd managed to avoid shopping with Christianna for most of the day but they'd met up for an early dinner. Now she was in his apartment, probably off somewhere doing whatever it was that women seemed to do when they disappeared in their boyfriend's apartment. At least she seemed to be in a better mood and wasn't constantly bitching. Don and her hadn't even fought that afternoon, for which he thought he deserved some type of an award or something. 

He laughed to himself as he finished off his beer and changed the channel to the news before getting up; heading for the kitchen to get another beer. Don hadn't heard from Emma since they met up that morning and he didn't really expect to since she knew his girlfriend would be around. And his luck, if she called and Christianna answered World War III would bust out. Opening the next beer, he tossed the cap into the trash before wandering back towards the bedroom to see what his girlfriend was up to. The blonde was perched on top of his bed, dozens of pictures surrounding her on the blankets. He raised an eyebrow wondering where in the hell she'd found all the pictures. He wasn't even sure where they'd come from totally, knowing how he was he'd probably had boxes of crap under the bed that hadn't yet been unpacked...and he'd been in that apartment for what seemed like forever! "What are you doin'?" He asked as he approached the bed.

She looked up and smiled, waving a picture of him around, "I found these in your dresser. Look how cute you were!"

Don snatched the picture out of her hand, recognizing it as one from his high school graduation. He was standing in between his parents with a horribly cheesy grin on his face, complete with a dorky blue cap and gown. He groaned, dropping it back onto the bed, "I look like an idiot. Why'd you go through my dresser?"

Christianna shrugged, "was bored. You were busy with that ESPN crap."

"Yeah but...that's my stuff." He grumbled a little, finding an empty spot on the bed next to her to sit down, "I didn't say go through my dresser. Hell I'm not even sure where I got some of these.."

She just shrugged again, choosing not to see how annoyed Don looked. "I've never seen some of these, you should really put these into albums or something. I bet Emma does that, she's the photographer and artist or whatever."

"When do I have time to do that?" He shook his head, picking up a picture lying near his leg. That one was of him and a couple of the other boys that grew up in the same neighborhood as him. He smiled some, dropping it back onto the pile.

She was still hunched over some of the pictures, grabbing one out of the stack and looking at it closely, "Is that Emma? Oh my god.." She laughed, "was she the school nerd!"

Don rolled his eyes, reaching out to take the picture from her. "No she was not the school nerd. That was really fucking nice, Chris."

"What!" She fell back on the bed, laughing still, "She just looks so..geeky."

"Back then everyone looked geeky." He scowled some, looking back at Christianna, "Don't be such a bitch, god."

"I am not being a bitch," She huffed before sitting back up. "Not my fault you get all sensitive over the Emma subject."

He just shook his head, grabbing up some of the pictures and standing to put them back in the dresser drawer they'd been in. "Yeah well we're done looking at old pictures. I'm tired."

Christianna made her way off the bed, coming to stand behind him. She slipped her arms around him, leaning up to put her chin on his shoulder, "well then baby, we need to get to bed.."

Don wanted to be irritated at her, he really and honestly did. It was just hard to stay so irritated and annoyed at her when her hands were making their way to the top of his jeans. His resolve was slipping, damnit.

* * *

She pushed her way through the crowd, hurrying up the steps that would lead her out of the subway and onto the street. It was after 9 a.m. on Monday and already it was turning out to be a not-so-good day. First of all, Emma woke up late and then found that she had no hot water when she went to take a shower. So after taking a very cold shower and finding the clothes she wanted to wear, she hurried out of the apartment. For some reason she thought the subway would be quicker that morning, but she had no such luck as the train stopped on the tracks for about fifteen minutes thanks to some electrical issue. Now she was running (in heels, no less) down the street so she wouldn't be _so_ late. 

It wasn't like her work place would mind so much, she was lucky in that aspect. Emma was a big fan of art and photography and after floundering around in odd jobs, she eventually found herself working in an art gallery she often frequented when they held shows. It wasn't the most glamourous or most well-paying job but she enjoyed it. It was quiet and most of the time it was just her in there hanging out with the radio on whatever station she wanted. She usually worked with a slightly older woman, named Luisa. Emma hadn't been too sure on what to think of the older, born-and-bred New Yorker, when she first started. Luisa looked like she could be someone's grandmother (and she probably was) but she could talk trash with the best of them. She had a tough exterior but once Emma got to know her, Luisa was the sweetest person alive. She'd been at the gallery for years, running all the shows that the place held.

Emma skidded to a stop in front of the door to the small art gallery. She'd nearly run over two guys in business suits but they were moving too slow. Once she was inside, she breathed a sigh of relief. A glance at her watch let her know that it was only five minutes past 9, and she was glad it wasn't any later than that or the guilt would've weighed on her heavily for the rest of the day.

Luisa came out of the back, carrying some papers in her hand, smiling when she saw her younger co-worker. "Why do you look like you just ran all the way here?"

Emma laughed, shaking her head as she shrugged out of her coat and headed for the backroom to put her things up, "You don't even want to know what hell this day has been like already."

Luisa laughed, "I won't ask then. We've got these invites to put together for that show next week. We need send out them today, I figured we can do that this morning."

"Yeah sure, just let me throw this stuff back here and I'll come help!"

Emma walked through the gallery, pausing just long enough to admire some of the prints on the walls. Different photographs hung up in a straight line, most showcasing nature in some way. The New York skyline in black and white had to be her favorite, just because it looked so dark and so romantic at the same time. She couldn't remember off the top of her head who the photographer was but the person was amazing. Being able to capture something that moved so fast all the time and make it stop for just a split second, that seemed amazing to her.

She shook her head and continued her trek to the back, setting her purse down on the table in their small breakroom. One day she hoped to have some of her photographs hanging somewhere. She had no idea when that'd be or what they'd be of, but she just knew that was one of her goals. Emma was always taking pictures, even as a kid. Photo albums littered her apartment and her mother's house in Georgia. Emma's weekends often consisted her heading out early in the mornings, finding something to take a picture of whether it was a person or a building. None of her friends really understood her obsession with taking pictures, except for maybe Marissa since she was somewhat into photography too. Don definitely didn't understand why Emma always had some sort of camera with her in her purse. But he didn't complain too much anymore.

At the slight thought of Don, Emma frowned some. The two of them had been playing phone tag for more than a week now. He'd been busy at work for the past couple of days and had also been too wrapped up in his girlfriend. Emma had tried to be nice to Christianna, she really had. But there was just no being nice to that woman anymore. Emma could deal with his work and the sometimes weird shifts he often worked, even though she worried about him getting hurt or worse. And she could deal with him having a girlfriend, it was just highly aggravating when it was someone so annoying. And maybe underneath it all, maybe Emma was jealous. Just a little, of course, and there was no way she'd admit anything to anyone if they ever brought it up. But as much as she could deal with his work and his girlfriend, she just missed getting to talk and goof off with him. But she understood, he had his own life and so did she.

* * *

Don watched where he stepped, making his way slowly through the apartment of a brutal break-in. The crime scene team was doing their thing, processing every nook and cranny of the place. The woman who lived there was a single mother and had been beaten pretty severely but, it looked like she would survive. Luckily, her son wasn't with her but they still didn't know who'd broken in. He had his notebook open, a couple neighbors had given him their names and numbers along with anything they'd heard but nothing was heard out of the ordinary. 

He sighed, rubbing his forehead with his hand as he found one of the CSI's, Danny Messer, in the back bedroom. He was crouched down next to the nightstand taking a sample of blood off the floor, glancing back when he heard the heavy footsteps. "Hey Flack...anyone hear anything?"

Don shook his head, "Not a damn thing. I've got the neighbors' names and all that though. Find anything interesting?"

Danny sighed as he stood up, "Just a hell of a lot of blood."

"Guess you'll need to get back to the lab then. Where'd Mac wander off to?"

Danny chuckled, shaking his head as he grabbed his kit off the floor, "Good question. We still up for drinks later or what?"

"Yeah sure.."

The shorter male gave him a look, raising an eyebrow, "You mean the girlfriend doesn't have you off picking out china patterns or some shit?"

Don narrowed his eyes, "Don't make me beat your ass at basketball this weekend."

"Yeah sure, Flack." Danny stepped around him to walk out of the room, "But seriously, your girlfriend gonna let you out of the house?"

"_Yes_ damnit. I told you we'd get drinks tonight after work," Don said as he followed him out of the bedroom. "I should call Emma.."

"Emma that friend of yours?"

"Uh huh. I haven't talked to her in...forever it seems like."

Danny glanced back at him, "So invite her along. I've heard you talk about her enough, might need to see if this woman actually exists."

The two males had become fast friends after working dozens, if not hundreds, of crime scenes together. They were a lot alike, even though they had their differences just like any other person did. They often made plans to go out to the bars or to play basketball on their days off. Danny had met Christianna but had only heard Don mention Emma, he hadn't met her yet. He'd begun to tease Don that she didn't exist since he never saw her, so maybe this was an opportunity for him to meet the ever elusive Emma.

Don smiled some as he followed Danny out of the crime scene, both heading downstairs to their respective cars. "I'll call her and see if she wants to tag along. Hey maybe you'll like her...Lord knows she hasn't had a date in forever."

"Hey I don't need you setting me up, you know!" Danny shook his head as they walked down the stairs, their footsteps echoing loudly in the stairwell, "We'll just see."

"Okay, okay. Just a little suggestion." He grinned as they reached the outside, Don heading for his car, "See ya later Messer."


	8. Chapter 8

I meant to post this earlier but I forgot, plus I wanted to do some editing to it once I did get home so here we go! Chapter 9 is about half done right now and will hopefully be posted before I head for bed. Another thanks for the kind reviews and compliments I've been getting, you all are amazing that took the chance on reading this story that stemmed from an idea I got at work one boring afternoon. So really, thank you!

* * *

She tapped her foot a little impatiently on the sidewalk outside of McCoy's Bar in Manhattan. She'd gotten a message from Don right as she was leaving work, telling her to meet him and a friend of his out front of the bar. She'd been standing outside for a good ten minutes now and had half a mind to turn around and go home. Home seemed like a good place to be since her feet were hurting and she really wanted to change out of the skirt and blouse outfit she was wearing. Her coat was doing nothing to stop the cold night air from nearly freezing her to death and Emma was really going to kill Don if he didn't show up in the next five seconds. 

He'd mentioned a friend of his was coming but for the life of her, she couldn't remember what the person's name was. Hopefully it wasn't the Barbie doll girlfriend because then Emma would really have to just go home, she wasn't in the mood to deal with Christianna's bitchy attitude. But Emma knew he still hung around with some cop buddies of his so maybe it was one of them? She didn't know but if neither of them showed up in the next three seconds, she was definitely going home.

Finally, she spotted Don and another man making their way up the sidewalk. And she couldn't decide whether to hug him or punch him for taking so damn long. Don grinned when he caught her eye as him and Danny approached, "hey, sorry we're late. Messer here got caught up in the lab."

A likely story but he was pinning it on the other guy, so maybe it was the truth. Danny elbowed Don in the ribs, "Hey I tried to hurry, thank you very much." He stuck out a hand towards Emma, "Danny Messer."

She smiled and reached out to shake his hand, "Emma Lewis, it's nice to meet you."

"And you know me," Don said teasingly as he moved to open the door to the bar.

Emma just gave him a look, hitting him in the arm as she went inside. The bar was slightly crowded for a Monday night. Cigarette smoke wafted around the three as they made their way inside, thankful to get out of the cool night air. A tv was on ESPN and was re-capping the latest sports news of the day. An older robust man stood behind the bar, talking with a few guys who were seated at the end of the bar.

Emma shrugged out of her coat as they found a booth near the back, sliding into one side of it. Danny and Don both took off their own coats as well. "I'm getting a beer, you want the same?" He asked Danny.

Danny nodded, "Yeah that's fine with me."

Don turned his attention to Emma, "Let me guess, do you want some girly drink?"

"Why do you say that every time we go out?"

"Because you usually end up getting a girly drink." He laughed, "Beer?"

"Yeah beer is fine for now. But next time I'm going to get you to order me a fuzzy navel or something, just to be a bitch." She grinned sweetly, watching as Don made his way up to the front to get their drinks.

Danny was tapping his fingers on the table, glancing up at the tv. He wasn't paying attention to Emma, which gave her just enough time to give him the once over. She vaguely remembered Don mentioning a guy named Danny, he worked in...some department she couldn't think of but she knew him and Don worked together a lot. He wore glasses and had blue eyes that looked to be a little darker than Don's. He was just a little taller than her which didn't say a whole lot since Emma felt like a shrimp most of the time. His hair was short and he was dressed more casual than Don was, but again that wasn't saying a whole lot since Don felt like dressing like Mr. GQ when he went to work. Emma laughed out loud suddenly, much to the amusement of Danny. He raised an eyebrow, "What?"

She shook her head, alarmed that she did _that_ and he'd heard. "Nothing nothing. I mean, I'm not laughing at you! I promise!"

Danny grinned, "Yeah right. What were you laughin' at then?"

Emma sighed inwardly, how could she explain without him thinking she was a complete idiot? "Well..okay. I was just...watching you, I guess. And I'm aware that that makes me sound like a stalker but I swear I'm not. But I was just thinking how you look so much more casual than Don and that he dresses like he's going to a GQ photoshoot."

Danny laughed, nodding his head, "I'm gonna have to remember that the next time he pisses me off. I'll have to rub that in."

"At least you don't think I'm a total weirdo."

"Eh, I don't know you that well yet. You could still be a weirdo."

Emma thought about that for a moment before she nodded, "That is true. But would Don hang around me if I was a complete weirdo?"

"Well Flack is a little weird himself...so yes," He said with a grin.

"Hm..you're right on that one."

"So he said you two grew up together?"

She nodded, "Kinda. I moved here in junior high. Believe it or not, him and I bonded in detention."

"Detention? You have to have all the best stories, you'll have to fill me in."

Emma laughed before nodding her head, "Oh I have pictures too."

Both were laughing when Don came back to the table, setting a beer down in front of both of them. He gave them a weird look, "Do I want to know what you're laughing at?"

Danny clapped him on the back as he sat down, "Probably not a good idea to leave me alone with a childhood friend of yours. She has _pictures_!"

He blinked a couple of times, really thinking it over. Once he got it, he gave Emma a stern look, "No showing any co-workers of mine any photographs Emma."

She took a drink of her beer, shrugging her shoulders, "Hey you don't own me or those pictures. I can show whoever I want."

"No but I do own some pictures myself. And a lot of them were taken in the 80's, so you just need to think about that."

Danny was watching the exchange between the two of them, wondering why in the hell the two of them weren't going out with each other. He'd been on the receiving end of Christianna's wrath and couldn't fathom why Flack was with a woman like that. She seemed all wrong for him, from the way she dressed to the way she acted around Flack. Emma wasn't too bad to look at it and the two of them obviously knew each other inside out. From the whole fifteen minutes he'd been around Emma, she seemed perfect for him. Danny wasn't stupid by any means, he knew exactly what Flack was trying to do when he invited Emma out with the two of them that night. Danny hadn't had a relationship in awhile, he was more content to play the field some and date here and there.

Danny was brought back into the conversation when he noticed both of them staring at him. Obviously someone had just asked him a question. "What?"

Emma laughed, "You really zoned out there, didn't you?"

Danny smiled, nodding his head, "Yeah sorry.."

"I was just asking what you did but Don said you're a CSI."

He nodded again, "Yeah. Not as exciting as it sounds."

She made a face before she took another drink of her beer, "Hey anyone that can be around blood and all that stuff without falling over in faint has my utmost respect. I freak out when I get a paper cut."

Don laughed, "That is true. I've been witness to you getting a paper cut and yeah, you about fainted from the sight of a little blood."

"Hey it hurt!" She shook her head, looking at Danny, "See, he just picks on me all the time."

* * *

Emma pulled her coat around her tighter as the three of them left McCoy's a few hours later. She'd enjoyed hanging with the both of them, especially since it meant getting to hang out with one of Don's friends that she didn't already know. Danny was funny and sarcastic and sure, he was cute too. Don stepped out onto the street some to hail him and Emma a cab, insisting that he take her home. Danny stood next to her, pulling his car keys out of his pocket. He lowered his voice so Don wouldn't overhear, "So you know why he invited you out with us, right?" 

She grinned, looking over at her new-found friend, "What, to hook me and you up?"

Danny nodded, "Yeah. He's been trying to set me up for the past month, I swear."

"He keeps trying to with me but I've been using work as an excuse." She shrugged, "He can't take the hint."

He also couldn't take the hint to go out with Emma, but Danny didn't voice that out loud. Instead he nodded again, "Very true."

"But this _was_ fun." She smiled, "Maybe we could, you know, go out and get lunch one day."

"Yeah sure, couldn't hurt." He grinned, "And you can show me those pictures."

She laughed, "Sounds like a plan!"

Don stepped in front of the two of them, "Got a cab, ready Em?"

"Yep! It was very nice to meet you Danny."

"You too. We'll have to do this again." He smiled, clapping Don on the back as he started down the sidewalk to where he parked, "I'll see you later."

"We got plans this weekend Messer."

"Yeah, yeah and you keep saying you're going to kick my ass..we'll see!" He laughed over his shoulder as he kept walking.

Don shook his head, laughing as he pulled Emma towards the waiting cab. She slid inside, watching as he got in behind her and closed the door, directing the driver to her building. She leaned back in the seat, "He was nice.."

"Yeah he's a good guy. I thought you might like him.."

She laughed, "So this was all a set up?"

He shrugged, glancing over at her as the cab weaved in and out of the late night traffic. "Not really, no."

"Liar!" Emma reached over, punching him in the shoulder.

Don scowled, rubbing his arm, "You're so fucking abusive to me.."

"You deserved that! Quit trying to set me up with people, especially people you work with."

He sighed, "Fine. But...you did like him, right?"

"He was a nice guy. He was funny and yes, he's slightly good looking but damnit Don, quit trying to hook me up with people." She crossed her arms in front of herself, glaring out the window.

Don scooted over towards her, "hey.." She didn't answer or even acknowledge that she heard him so he moved closer again, "Emma.."

She sighed loudly, looking over at him, "What?"

"I'm sorry. I just thought you might like to meet a nice guy. And Danny's one of the best guy's I know."

"Well you don't hang out around jerks..so I figured that. But still, I don't need you to set me up." She smiled a little, "I am capable of finding my own dates."

He grinned, "Yeah but you can always use the help of one of your best friends."

Emma rolled her eyes, "Please don't ever say something as cheesy as that ever again. Thanks."


	9. Chapter 9

Short chapter! Consider this a filler chapter but it's leading up to something that should happen in the next chapter or two . Chapter 10 should be posted sometime later on Monday afternoon.

* * *

He was in the midst of the best sleep ever when it was rudely interrupted by the shrill ringing of his apartment phone. He groaned and sat up in the bed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. A bleary glance at the clock let him know it was 7:30 in the morning. Another groan and Don was padding his way through the apartment to find the offending phone. He managed to grab it on the fourth ring, "Hello?" 

"Donnie, baby? It's Christianna. Are you awake?"

He frowned, still about half asleep as he stood in the middle of his apartment. "Do you know what time it is?"

"Of course! But some of us do have to work at 8."

"That may be true but I don't, for once."

"Well you're awake now right?"

He sighed, rubbing a hand over his very tired face. He'd been looking forward to getting some sleep and then it'd be interrupted. Sometimes having a girlfriend sucked. "Not really, no. I'm tired Chris, what do you want?"

"I was going to see if you wanted to meet up for lunch." He could just tell she was pouting on the other end of the phone. She was probably wearing some designer outfit on her way into work at her father's office building.

Don's eyes were closed, almost willing himself to go to sleep even if it meant doing so standing up and with the phone pressed to his ear. He was going to piss off his girlfriend ahd knew it but, he wasn't in the mood. "I can't. I need to get some sleep. I've gotta go in later tonight."

Christianna's voice changed from warm and bubbly to cold and distant. "_Fine_. I'll just talk to you later then."

He hung up the phone a few moments later and covered a yawn, making his way back to the bedroom. He climbed up on the bed and flopped down on top of the blankets. The room was still nice and dark, making for the perfect atmosphere for him to go back to sleep. Which is exactly what he did, fleeting thoughts of his angry girlfriend in his head.

* * *

She held her cell phone to her ear as she stood in line at a small sandwich shop around the corner from her workplace. Marissa was on the other end of the phone, babbling away about the guy she'd met a few days ago. He was some aspiring musician that she'd met at a bar and the two had apparently hit it off. Emma was smiling as she listened to her talk a mile a minute. "So what's his name?" 

"Wes. Well, Wesley but he goes be Wes. He's so cute, Emma. Blonde hair, blue eyes, tall. He's been in a couple of bands, although none have made it huge or anything. He plays guitar, do you know how hot that is?"

Emma stepped up in line, laughing softly, "It sounds pretty damn hot, but no I don't _know. _So are you going to see him again?"

"Yeah! We're going out tonight. I'm going to get off of here but I'll call you later after my date." Marissa let out a squeal, "oh my god I can't believe how hot he is."

Emma let out another laugh, trying not to draw attention to herself. "Okay yes, call me later and tell me all about it. Well..you can leave out the dirty details but yes, I'll talk to you later."

She slipped her cell phone into her purse, finally reaching the front of the line to order her lunch. Luisa was back at the store waiting on her to bring back food for both of them. They'd been working to get everything together for the show that was to be held in three days, an art show that over a hundred people had been invited to. After ordering and paying for her food, Emma stepped off to the side to wait for the food to come up. Her cell phone began to ring from inside her purse and she sighed, looking down as she dug around for it. "Hello?"

"Hey what are you doing?"

Don had gotten better about calling lately, although she wasn't sure why. He liked to randomly call her from work, mostly to see what she was doing or what she was going to do that day. "Hey yourself Don. I'm getting lunch for me and Luisa. Are you working?"

"Nah. I'm grocery shopping. How lame, right?"

She laughed, pulling the phone away from her ear long enough to thank the man that handed her her food order. "Not too lame, you do need to eat after all. So what's going on?"

"Nothin'. I got a rude awakening this morning thanks to Christianna." He sighed, "Tell me why I decided to go out with her?"

"Good question," Emma said as she walked outside, heading back towards work. "Why'd she wake you up?"

"She wanted to do lunch or whatever but I'm honestly not in the mood. I've gotta go in later tonight and wanted to actually sleep in for once but fuck if she didn't call at 7:30. Who does that? Hell I know not to call you before like..noon."

"Hey!"

"It's the truth, Em."

"Maybe so but still!" She shook her head, even though he couldn't see her, "Jerk. So did you go back to sleep?"

"Yeah for a couple of hours but then I decided to just go ahead and get up. I needed to get some actual food. My mom would kill me if she knew how often I got take-out or pizza.."

"Mine too. She's threatening to come up here to stay with me so I'll eat a home-cooked meal." Emma laughed, "That might not be so bad now that I think about it."

"Hey she can come stay with me and cook! Your mom cooks awesome food. How come you didn't get the cooking genes?" He asked teasingly.

She went inside the art gallery, heading towards the back to put the bag of food down. "You're asking to get hung up on, Flack."

"Oh I'm kidding and you know it. You can open a can of soup, after all."

She snorted, setting the bag down on the breakroom table. She moved to the fridge to grab something to drink, "Ha. Ha. I'm going to eat now, so I need to get off the phone."

"Okay, I'll let you go. We should go to dinner one day this week, you know."

"Oh! Wanna come to the art show on Friday? We can go get something to eat after that or something. I've just got that to do this week."

"Me? At an art show?" Don laughed, "That should be some kind of oxymoron.."

"Oh come on. It's not as boring as you think. Please?"

He was still laughing but he finally agreed, "Fine but you owe me one. I'll talk to you later?"

"Yep! Have fun grocery shopping."

"Yeah right Emma. Talk to you later." And with that, he hung up the phone.

Emma tossed her phone back into her purse, sitting down to unwrap her sandwich. Luisa came in a minute later to get her own food. "Are we allowed to bring someone to that show this weekend?"

Luisa nodded as she got herself something to drink. "Sure, the more the merrier. Marianne won't care if there's an extra person or two. Why, bringing a date?"

"Not a date, just a friend of mine." Emma smiled, happy that she'd get to have a friend there that could entertain her.

* * *

That night rolled around and as Emma was getting ready for bed, she realized she hadn't heard from Marissa yet. Of course it was just then nearing 1 a.m. and it wasn't totally unheard of to not hear from her until much later. But she had said she would call. So as Emma climbed into bed, she took her cell phone and dialed Marissa's own cell. It went to her voicemail after three rings and she left a message. 

"Hey it's me. I was just calling to see how your date went, or I guess I should say I was calling to see how your date IS going since you haven't called. But call me later if you want, I should have my phone with me. Talk to you later!"

She hung up the phone and set it on the nightstand, just in case Marissa called her back. She flipped off the light and and laid back, trying to ignore the sounds of the city outside of her bedroom window.


	10. Chapter 10

Updating real quick-like from work, excuse any grammatical/spelling errors as this had been read over by me but I could've missed something. Chapter 11 will hopefully be up tonight!

* * *

Wednesday came with no type of contact from Marissa. But Emma really wasn't worried as that wasn't totally out of character for her hyperactive friend. And it wasn't like the two of them had to talk every single day, right? But something wasn't settling well with Emma, something didn't feel right about the whole situation. Always the worrywart, she mentioned it to Don the next time they talked.

She was making her way through Central Park on a rare day off on a weekday. The weather had cleared up and while the air was cool, the sunlight helped a bit. Her cell phone was against her ear as she walked, looking for just the right spot to take some pictures. The ever present camera was in her bag that was thrown over her shoulder. "So..I'm not sure what to think. She did say she'd call," Emma was saying.

Don was across town somewhere, grabbing a bite to eat while he had the time. Crimes had exploded all over the city so he was lucky he even got five minutes to eat lunch. "It's just been a day, Em. Maybe she's holed up with him somewhere. I don't want to think about what they might be doing but I'm sure she's fine."

She sighed, finding a bench to sit down on. "I know I worry constantly. I'm a mother hen, even my own mother tells me to quit worrying so much! But something just doesn't feel right. You know?"

"I know. But Marissa is a big girl, she can take care of herself. Look, give it another day. If you haven't heard from her by tomorrow afternoon, give me a call. I'll go over there myself and see if she's home."

"I guess that'll have to do."

Don laughed, "Want me to play Superman and go over there right now?"

"No!" Emma scowled into the phone, obviously she was the only one taking this seriously. "You need to eat. I'm going to be a photography nerd and take pictures."

"Where are you?"

"Central Park."

"Emma...it's fucking cold.."

She laughed at that, he'd stated it as if she was completely oblivious to the weather. "Well there's thing called winter. Apparently, it gets cold in winter, who knew!"

"Smartass."

"You love me!" She grinned, watching a couple of kids as they raced by her all dressed up in their winter clothes.

"I plead the fifth. We still doing that art show?"

"Of course. You have to dress up."

He whined then, "Do I have to?"

"yes! You act like you don't ever dress up for work. You're like a damn walking Dolce and Gabbana ad." She sat back on the bench, looking up at the sky. The sun was high in the sky but wasn't giving off as much heat as she'd like.

"I don't even know who the hell Dulce and Libre...or whoever are.."

"Uh huh. Your girlfriend does. Last time I saw her, she had on a pair of eight hundred dollar Gucci shoes."

"She has an expendable account it seems. I don't buy her shit like that."

She laughed, "I know, I know. Look you need to finish eating and I'm gonna go enjoy my day off."

"Must be nice," He grumbled on the other end. "All right, talk to you later."

"Bye Don."

Slipping her phone into her purse, Emma stood and continued on her walk through the park. The art show was in just two short days and all the invitations had gone out. The caterers were scheduled and they'd begun working on hanging all the paintings and pictures in the gallery. Emma was stuck on what to wear though, knowing she'd have to go through her closet later to find something she found appropriate. Luisa had teased her the day before about bringing a mystery date, even though Emma tried to convince her that he was just a friend. Luisa just smiled, as if she knew all the secrets in the world.

Stopping beside a nearly dead tree, Emma stepped back. The sun was shining right through the bare branches. Pulling her camera out of her purse, she snapped a quick picture. She then continued, trying to figure out in her head what she'd wear on Friday night while snapping pictures here and there. The worry about Marissa and where she might be had dissipated somewhat thanks to talking to Don.

Emma arrived home late in the afternoon, having spent most of the day out and about in the city. She did a little clothes shopping and had spent more than she'd meant to, but that seemed to be the way it always worked. She'd go out for one thing and come back with five things. A check of her answering machine let her know there were no new messages. Still no word from Marissa and at the thought, the worry came back full force. Emma knew she was being unreasonable about it all because she did seem to worry all the time about everything. Her friend was probably wrapped in the sheets with her guitar playing God-like man and hadn't thought to call Emma, that was all. But just for the heck of it, Emma tried Marissa's cell phone again. It rang a couple of times before going to her voicemail but she didn't leave a message this time.

The apartment phone rang around 8 p.m. and she scurried out of the kitchen to grab it. Emma had gotten it in her head to actually fix dinner that night instead of going out or ordering something in. She answered it on the third ring, "Hello?"

"Emma honey, it's your mother."

Emma inwardly groaned. Not that she wasn't happy to hear from her mother, but she'd been sure it was going to be Marissa who would gush all about the guitar guy. "Hey mom.."

"Well don't sound so excited to hear from me!"

Emma laughed as she carried the phone back into the kitchen where the store-bought pasta was getting ready to boil on the stove. "Sorry, it's just that I thought you were going to be Marissa. I haven't heard from her since early yesterday.."

"That's not unusual though?"

"No not really. She had a date and was all excited, said she'd call me to tell me all about it. But Don told me the same thing and then told me to quit worrying so much."

Linda laughed, "That boy knows you better than anyone."

"Yeah, yeah. He'd also turn red if he knew you referred to him as _boy_." Emma leaned her hip against the counter, "So what's going on?"

"Well you remember how your cousin Jenny is having a baby, right? Well she went to the doctor's today and found out what it's going to be."

Emma smiled, "Umm...a girl?"

"How'd you guess?"

"Obviously I'm psychic."

"She's just so excited, we don't have many girls in the family as it is. She's going to let me know when the shower is and wanted to know if you'd make plans to come down for it."

Emma paused at that, half-listening as her mom went on and on about the latest family gossip. Emma hadn't been back to Georgia in years, just because she hadn't really thought about going back. Linda had never gotten used to the New York life, mostly moving there to be closer to her parents while Emma was growing up. The divorce from Emma's father hadn't been the smoothest thing in the world but Linda had moved back to Georiga as soon as Emma was out on her own, living her own life. For Emma, the thought of going back to Georgia was a weird one. She could barely remember anything about the state, besides the accent she'd never quite gotten rid of over the years. She sighed, knowing her mother's side of the family would be up in arms if she didn't make an appearance at Jenny's baby shower.

"Yeah mom. Just let me know when it is and I'll fly down for a couple of days."

"Oh good! You'll have to see my little house and everything." Linda was smiling and her daughter could tell, just by the tone of her voice. "Jenny will be so excited to see you. It's been years!"

"I know, I haven't been back in forever. But, like I said, just let me know as soon as you can and I'll start looking at flights and put in for the days off." Emma turned back to her pasta, stirring it, "I should go. I'm going to eat and then probably go on to bed."

"Okay. I'll call you in a few days with the details. And quit worrying."

Emma laughed, shaking her head, "Bye mom." Sometimes the people in her immediate life knew her all too well.

* * *

Don walked ahead of Mac and Stella, trying to ignore the cold night air. It was well after midnight and he'd gotten a call about a body being found in an alley. Of course the CSI team had been notified and he'd had to wait around for them to show up. Mac held his flashlight on the dumpster at the back of the alley, looking around for any evidence. The body was lying next to the dumpster, seemingly thrown there to be forgotten about.

Don shook his head, it'd seemed like the crime rate had risen 100 just in that day. Robberies, assaults, murders..it never ended, did it? "So what do we got, Flack?"

He looked up when he realized Mac was talking to him. "Got a call in to dispatch from a guy, Robbie Martinez, works around the corner at the pizza place. Said he took the trash out, found the body out here."

Mac nodded, crouching down next to the body. Don looked out towards where the alley led to the street, halfway listening as Mac and Stella talked. He didn't know how someone could dump a body without anyone seeing it, even if it was the dead of winter and not many people were out.

He turned around when he heard Stella stand up, Don's eyes darting down to the victim they'd found. Stella and Mac's flashlight were shining on the body and Don had to blink a couple of times. His eyes widened when he recognized the face, muttering a quiet, "Oh fuck.."


	11. Chapter 11

Sorry this is so late! I'd meant to update much earlier but then was distracted by watching The Closer (ohmygod I love that show) :- But here we go!

Chapter 12 will most likely be posted sometime on Tuesday unless I can my muse to cooperate here in the next hour or so.

* * *

The banging on the door woke her up, although at first Emma wasn't sure what it was. She laid in bed for a few moments while the noise stopped and then it started right back up again. Grumbling, she rolled out of bed and nearly tripped over her shoes from earlier but managed to make her way over to the door. She fumbled with the lock for a minute as the banging continued, "hold on just a second, damn.."

She flung the door open, ready to tear into whoever it was that would come banging on her door at 2 a.m. when she did have to get up the next morning for work. But she was surprised to find Don standing on the other side, his mouth set in a firm line, his eyes a shade of dark blue she'd never seen before. Emma stepped back instinctively, "What are you doin' here?"

He let out a sigh and moved inside the apartment, "I need to talk to you."

Emma was pulling her hair off the back of her neck, watching as he brushed past her. He looked worried and stressed out but what in the world could he have to talk to her about at 2 a.m? "Don..you do know what time it is?" She asked, closing the door once he was inside all of the way. "I was sleeping really good and I do have to go to work early."

Don held up a hand and Emma stopped about a foot from him, watching as he turned towards her. "I know what time it is. But I wouldn't come over here if it wasn't important. I need you to get some clothes on and come with me."

"What? What for! Don I am not going anywhere with you." She crossed her arms in front of her, this was ridiculous!

"Emma! Get some damn clothes on and come with me!" Don yelled suddenly.

She jumped, more startled than anything. He hardly ever raised his voice around her, in fact he'd only done it back when they were in school and got into some stupid fight. She raised an eyebrow, "Don't yell at me damnit. You're the one that comes over here in the middle of the night and won't even tell me what in the world is going on." Emma grumbled as she stomped off to her room.

Don followed quietly but his eyes were still the weird dark color of blue. She was still grumbling as she pulled a sweatshirt over her head, looking back at him, "Will you turn around so I can throw on some jeans?"

He did as he was told and turned his back, listening to the rustling of her changing her clothes. He had no idea how to go about telling her what he needed to. And here he'd had to do worse things in his line of work, but still. This was a friend. This was completely different. "Okay," She said softly. "Will you please tell me what's going on?"

He turned towards her, motioning for her to sit down. He waited until she did so before he took a seat next to her, folding his hands in his lap. "I got a call earlier tonight, some guy found some...body lying next to a dumpster. So I obviously went out for the call, met Mac and Stella there."

Emma was getting anxious, now she was getting a weird creepy feeling and wanted to know what was going on already. She nodded, "Okay..that's not anything unusual.."

"No, I know that." He ran a hand through his hair before he started to chew on the inside of his lip. "I don't know how to tell you this but...I got a look at who it was."

Emma frowned as she listened to him as she wasn't exactly sure what he was getting at. "Don just tell me.."

He let out another sigh, turning towards her, "It was Marissa."

She blinked and froze at that. She heard what he said, she just wasn't sure she wanted to believe it. It couldn't be true, right? Maybe this was a really late or really early April Fool's Day joke. She shook her head slowly, "What? What are you talking about?"

"It was Marissa. I recognized her. But I need you to come down to the morgue with me and identify the..." He sighed, "the body."

Her eyes started to water, how could he refer to Marissa as the _body_? She wiped at her eyes quickly with the back of her hand, "Do you know what happened?"

"Not yet. You'll be the first to know." He reached out to take her hand, "Will you come with me?"

She nodded her head, pulling her hand from his before she stood up. "Yeah. I just..I need to get my stuff first."

"Sure, I'll wait in the front for you okay?" He stood up after she did, moving for the door.

Emma just nodded, watching out of the corner of her eye as he left the room. She sucked in a deep breath once he was gone and tried not to burst into tears right there on the spot. She found her purse and slipped on some shoes before walking out to meet Don. He slipped his arm around her as he opened the front door. He led her down the hallway to the elevator.

* * *

She'd visited Don once at the precinct he worked at and that was for lunch one afternoon when he'd had a chance to get away. It was busy, cops in uniforms and suits running around in every direction. She'd never seen anything like it and had teased him that he ought to give her the full tour of the building but then he'd mentioned visiting the morgue and Emma was sufficiently grossed out.

Now she was frozen in front of the doors leading into the morgue. Don was talking but she wasn't hearing him. Visions of Marissa hurt and bleeding were rushing through her mind faster than she could comprehend them, and she didn't even know what had happened to her friend. She frowned, looking up at Don, "What?"

His palm was flat on her lower back, much as it had been during the walk from her apartment to the car and from the car into the stone building bustling with activity. "I asked if you were uh..ready."

He was obviously uncomfortable having to bring a friend to the morgue to identify another friend. It was something he wasn't sure to handle. He was expecting Emma to cry and scream or something but so far, she'd just been eerily quiet and calm. She nodded once, "I think so.." She took a step forward and then froze again, "Are you coming in with me?"

Don nodded, "Of course. I'll stay with you for however long you need."

She chewed on her lip for a moment, "I don't need cop-Don. I..I need my friend Don."

Another nod from him, "That's what you've got right now, promise."

She nodded and Don reached around them to open the door that led into the morgue. An older man with glasses was inside standing near a table that obviously had a body lying on it, covered with a sheet. He looked up when Don and Emma entered, shooting him a questioning look. Don tended to avoid the morgue about as much as he could. "We're here to uh..identify the body."

Emma made a face and fought the urge to look around the room. It wasn't some place she'd ever imagined herself walking into. "Emma, this is Sid Hammerbeck, he's the chief medical examiner."

She nodded in his direction but wasn't sure whether to reach out to shake his hand or not. That would've been a little weird, given the circumstances. Sid nodded, smiling a little bit at her, but it was a sad smile. Emma glanced up at Don, "Can we get this over with? Please?"

She was almost pleading, wanting to get this over with so she could go somewhere else that wasn't the morgue. She closed her eyes as Sid reached up for the sheet and pulled it back just a bit. She opened one eye and then both of them, looking down into the face of her friend. Marissa looked almost peaceful, which was weird and calming at the same time. Emma swallowed hard, not sure whether she was going to throw up or pass out but she nodded, whispering, "That's her.."

Sid covered Marissa's face again and then, Emma was running. She heard Don yell her name but she just had to get out of there as fast as she could. She ran through the doors that led into the morgue and turned, looking around wildly for the bathroom or the elevator. But she couldn't remember exactly which direction they'd come from, everything was a big pile of mush in her head as it was. She ran down the hallway, not caring if she looked like some lunatic. Finally, she found the bathroom and pushed open the door, sliding down against it once she was inside. It was only then that Emma began to sob.

Don exited the morgue about a minute after Emma had taken off running. He looked up and down the hallway for her, but couldn't find her anywhere. He was about to get into the elevator to leave when Stella came around, "Flack.."

He looked over at her, "Yeah?"

"Are you looking for someone?"

He sighed and nodded his head, "Yes. Did you find her?"

Stella nodded and motioned for him to follow her back in the direction she'd just come from. They stopped in front of the women's bathroom and Stella pushed him towards the door. "What'd you want me to do in there?"

"Flack, she's in there. Dumbass."

"Oh!" He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face, "She okay?"

Stella shook her head with a frown, "Not really, no. She was crying when I found her in there and I could barely get anything out of her that made sense. I told her I'd go find you though."

He nodded, "Thanks Stel.."

She patted him on the shoulder, "No problem. I'll see you around."

"Yeah, let me know about the results?"

"Of course. You'll be the first person I call as soon as they come back." And with that, Stella disappeared down the hallway again.

Don stood outside of the women's bathroom for more than thirty seconds before he pushed the door open and poked his head inside. He wasn't sure if Emma was the only one in there or not. He spotted her leaning against one of the sinks, her head hanging down with her hair in her face. He moved inside slowly, jumping some when the door seemed to close too loudly.

Emma's head shot up and she looked over at him, "hi.."

He stepped closer to her, "Hey. You okay?"

Her eyes had begun to water again, just when she thought she'd cried enough as it was. She shrugged her shoulders, reaching up to wipe at her eyes quickly, "I don't know. I don't know how this could've happened to her. I mean...god..what'd she ever do?"

Don leaned back against the wall, "I don't know. I wish I could tell you something but..I have no idea."

She sighed shakily, "This isn't fair.."

"No it's not. Human's do some pretty bad things, I've learned that real quick."

Emma sniffled and then laughed, despite herself. "I can't believe you came in the women's bathroom..."

"And here I thought you might be impressed. Hey..Em?"

She looked over at him, "What?"

He motioned for her to come closer, opening his arms, "C'mere."

In an instant Emma was hugging him as tightly as she could, burying her face against his shoulder. Don's arms wrapped around her, wishing he knew how to make her feel even an iota better. This had to be one of the worst things either of them had been through. The only way he could tell she was crying again was from the way her shoulders were shaking and his heart went out to her, knowing nothing he could say would really be enough or make her feel better. He hated to be the one that ruined her night like this.

Emma pulled away from him after a few minutes of crying, wiping at her face with the sleeve of her hoodie. "Thanks.."

He reached out, tilting her chin up some, "You don't have to thank me. I'm always here for you, you know that right?"

She nodded, biting her lower lip, "Yeah I know. Do...do I need to call her parents and stuff?"

"No, I think Mac or someone here can take care of that. I think you've dealt with enough for tonight. Let me take you home.."

"No I don't want to go home," She said shaking her head.

"Well you can't stay here. How about you come crash at my place?"

"Will you stay with me?"

He nodded, not even caring if he got in trouble or not. But he figured if anything happened he'd get a call so then he could leave if he had to. "On the condition that I will have to leave if I get a call."

Emma moved towards the door with him behind her and the two of them stepped out into the hallway. His hand went back to her lower back, leading her to the elevator. She glanced back only once at the doors that led to the morgue praying silently that there wouldn't be a time where she had to do _that _again.


	12. Chapter 12

He had the tv down as low as it could go, even though he wasn't paying a bit of attention to it. Some infomercial about the latest gadget was on and it was so cheesy that normally he would've laughed at it. But, she was back in his bedroom _finally_ sleeping and he didn't want to risk waking her up. Emma and Don had been at his place for a few hours now but she'd been too upset to lay down or attempt to sleep. He was pretty sure she'd cried out all the tears she had in her body and had even joked that she was going to get dehydrated if she didn't stop. That had gotten him a punch in the arm and a smile, so least he got something out of it.

Don had been expecting to get at least one phone call from Mac or Stella but so far, his phone had been quiet. He wanted to get the person who killed Marissa more than anything. Emma had said she was going out with some guy named Wes, but she didn't have a last name. He looked up when he heard footsteps and found a sleepy Emma standing in the doorway. He smiled some, "Hey I thought you were sleeping.."

She shrugged and made her way over to the couch before taking a seat. "I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep." She leaned back against the arm of the couch, stretching her legs out, "Heard anything?"

"No. I did call Mac before you went to sleep though, told him about the boyfriend. Her uh..parents are flying in later tonight, I guess. Said they'd take care of the arrangements and stuff."

She nodded, "Good. I mean...I just wouldn't want to try to deal with that, that'd be too hard."

"Yeah." Don grew quiet, not sure of what to say or do or if there was even _anything _he could say or do. "I'm sorry Em."

A small smile crossed her face and she waved him off, "Don't be sorry. I'm glad you came to tell me, you know? And you also know Marissa would be freaking out if she saw us sitting here all sad and stuff."

He laughed softly, "She'd also be trying to get in my pants.."

"Oh she'd be in your bedroom digging through your drawers."

"For what!"

Emma laughed, "I don't know! Marissa was always a little crazy."

He nodded as he stretched out on the couch as well, "We're gonna figure out who did it."

"I know you will." She sighed softly, "She was supposed to come to that art show.."

"You still want to go?"

Emma sat up before crawling over towards him. He immediately opened his arms to her, not surprised when she practically climbed into his lap. "Yeah I think so. You still want to come with me?"

He grinned, "Hey I get to get all dressed up, of course I'm going to go with you."

"You're always dressed up." She shrugged, looking at him. "I just want to forget tonight ever happened."

"I know. But it'll be okay. And you're right, Marissa would probably throw a fit if she knew how upset we were. And she'd probably be extremely upset that you're upset."

Emma nodded, "I know. It's just..weird. Like it all feels like a fog or a dream. I keep hoping it's a joke and she's going to burst through the door so I can punch her for being an idiot to scare me like that."

"I'm sorry," He said again for lack of not knowing what else to say. "I mean...I guess I'm just sorry that you lost a friend like that."

"Never been through anything like this before. Yeah death happens but it's usually when you're old." Emma shrugged before laying down almost on top of him. His arms were still around her and while it might have looked one way to anyone else, it was just for comfort. At least, that's what each of them was telling themselves.

"I've seen a lot of death and things like that but I agree, death is supposed to happen when you're old."

"Do you think she suffered?" Emma asked after a moment of silence.

Don sighed, his eyes closed some. He was pretty comfortable himself and was content to go to sleep like that. But he knew the answer to the question and wasn't sure she was ready for the answer. While Marissa hadn't been shot to death or anything, she'd been beaten pretty severely. Severely enough that had she survived she most likely would've had some sort of brain damage. He knew Marissa had suffered at the hand of some monster. But he knew Emma wouldn't want to hear that so he answered with a soft, "No."

* * *

Emma went through the motions once her and Don woke up from a pretty comfortable sleep on the couch. He showered and dressed, then took her over to her apartment so she could do her own thing. She'd already spoken to her mother, as well as Marissa's parents who were flying in around 6 that evening.

"I need to get to work," Don said as he watched her pull on a pair of shoes.

She was chewing on her lip, a nervous habit she'd had since forever. "Could I...tag along? I mean, even if it's just hanging out at your desk?" She shook her head in the next second, "Know what? Nevermind, that was stupid.."

He laughed, "Okay quit rambling for two seconds. You can come hang out, 'though you can't come on any calls with me."

"Obviously. I don't even know how to shoot a gun."

"I could teach you."

Emma snorted, the image of her holding a gun was almost too funny. "You just point and shoot, right?"

"Uh..no, there's more to it than that." He laughed, "Maybe you don't need to be taught."

"So can I come with you or not? Since I'm not going to work and well..if something pops up, I wanna know about it."

He nodded, "Sure. Maybe I'll pawn you off on Danny, he can entertain you."

"You just want me to go out with him." She walked to the door and opened it, waiting for him to follow, "but sorry he's not my type."

"You have a type?"

"Yes. My type often wears a suit and tie to work, has blue eyes and dark hair. OH and he has one of those annoying New York accents," She said teasingly.

Don followed her out to the hallway. "He sounds like an asshole," He said seriously. Then it dawned on him and he glared at her playfully, "hey!'

Emma laughed as she walked in front of him towards the stairs. Don knew she was just joking and even if she was picking on him at his expense, it was nice to hear her laugh.

* * *

_AN: Chapter 13 should be up later today/this evening_


	13. Chapter 13

Hello! I just wanted to write a quick note and say thank you to everyone that's read and reviewed this story so far. I honestly can't believe I'm up to chapter 13 and have 30-something reviews. That blows my mind!

Moving along to the reason you all are on this page, huh? We've skipped ahead a couple of days, including the big gallery show. I originally had Emma and Don going to it but then I didn't like the way it turned out so, that will come into play later I think. Not sure when Chapter 14 will be posted, hopefully Wednesday night though.

* * *

The next Monday dawned bright but cold. Rain from the night before left the streets wet with water, almost to the point of freezing. Everything looked dingy and gray, even with the little sunlight. Somehow it seemed perfect for Marissa's funeral, after all she was so bright and bubbly it would just seem wrong for it to be raining. He stood a few feet behind the rest of the people that had shown up to the grave-side service, his eyes locked on her back as she stood with her shoulders squared, standing in between Marissa's parents. Don hadn't been able to make it to the funeral home due to work but he made it a point to leave in time to be there for the graveside service. He was freezing, with his hands shoved deep into his coat pockets but he didn't make a move closer to her. Emma had been a trooper the past few days, dealing with Marissa's parents and all the phone calls from friends and other family members of hers. The investigation had hit a standstill, much to both Emma and Don's dismay. Somehow the blonde guitar swinging guy named Wes had disappeared but Mac and Stella were still working the case. They were all working any and every lead that came in, hoping it'd bring a break in the case soon. 

Don and Emma had forgone the show at the gallery on Friday, even though Emma wanted to go. She just honestly couldn't suck up enough energy to go to it so she'd camped out on her couch with a couple of chick flicks and ice cream until Don came over after a last minute date with Christianna. Then the two of them had sat up until late alternating between talking and watching whatever movie or tv show they could find. He'd left early in the morning to go back to his own apartment to get ready for work while Emma slept. She'd been having trouble sleeping ever since the night when Don showed up on her doorstep and had finally resorted to taking sleeping pills, just to help for the time being. He'd told her there'd be a chance he couldn't make it to the funeral and she understood, even though she wanted him to be there all the same.

It probably should've surprised her to turn around once the service was done and find Don staring back at her, but it didn't. She smiled some and waved a little before turning to Marissa's parents. They were holding up a lot better than she thought they would've, both calm and almost in a hurry to get everything finished and finalized. They did want to know what really happened and were going to stay in New York for a few more days, helping in any way they could with the investigation. Marissa's mom stepped forward and hugged Emma tightly and then pulled away and Emma was engulfed in the bear-like vice of Marissa's father.

Once nearly everyone had left, she walked slowly down the small hill to where Don was standing. He stepped away from the tree he'd been standing under, meeting her halfway. "How you holding up?"

She shrugged, wrapping her arms around herself from the cold. "I'm okay, I think. I thought you weren't coming?"

"I said I didn't know if I could or not. My luck if I didn't, she'd come haunt me at all the inopportune times," He grinned jokingly, knowing that if ghosts were real Marissa would definitely pop up to haunt him. Especially if he was in the shower or anywhere else that might be uncomfortable for him.

Emma laughed, "That is so wrong to joke about in a cemetary. I'm not hanging around you anymore if any ghosts pop up." She started to walk down towards the car he was driving, "Are you hungry? I'm starving."

He nodded, following behind her. "Her parents staying in a hotel or something?"

"Yeah. They're going to start going through her apartment once it's released to them, or whatever." Emma glanced back at him, reaching up to push her hair out of her face as the wind started to blow. "There's no news, right?"

"Not yet. There's a warrant for this Wes guy though. He apparently left on a flight to Texas the other day though, so we'll find him."

"Do you think he did it?" She asked once he was closer to her.

Don had to slow his footsteps down so he wasn't walking too far ahead of her, he sometimes forgot that Emma was shorter than him and he had a tendency to walk quickly everywhere. "I can't really say, Em. He's definitely a person of interest though."

She nodded, seemingly placated for the moment as they reached his car. "So where should we go?"

He unlocked the doors and got into the driver's side, starting the ignition. Warm air started to come out of the vents but he still started to rub his hands together, "Pizza sounds good to me."

Emma smiled as she leaned back in the seat, "Don...pizza always sounds good to you."

"Maybe so but least it's something we both end up agreeing on!"

"That might be true. So, get to driving and we'll find us a good pizza place," She said with a laugh.

* * *

An hour passed and the two of them were sufficiently stuffed with some of the best pizza that Manhattan had to offer. He'd even managed to not get any of it on his clothes, which was a good thing since he still had to go back to work. Emma was staring out the window of the small restaurant they were sitting in, giving him the opportunity to watch her. She looked tired and he knew she wasn't sleeping or at the very least she wasn't sleeping _well_. He was suddenly seeing her differently, as if he was seeing her for the very first time all over again. Since when had his Emma grown up? That was a dumb question, of course. Sure the two of them could act totally immature and idiotic but it was purely _them_. Emma understood him and vice versa. 

He frowned to himself, he just had to come to the conclusion that one of his best friends since childhood was good looking _now_. He shook his head some, jumping when his phone began to ring from inside his coat pocket. Grabbing it, he glanced at the number before answering, "Flack."

Emma turned her head then, watching him as he answered his phone. His eyes widened and locked on hers, a small grin crossing his face. "Got it. Yeah I'll be there soon. Thanks." He closed the phone and leaned across the table towards her. "Guess what?"

Emma shook her head. "I have no idea, what?"

He grinned wider this time, "Found that Wes guy. He's being brought back to New York. We got him."


	14. Chapter 14

Here's Chapter 14 :)

* * *

He sat across the table from the tall, lanky, shaggy blonde haired guitarist. The guy's eyes were bloodshot and he looked like he had two black eyes from lack of sleep. He was hunched over the table doing a pretty good job of acting like he was upset. Don sat back in his seat, his hands laid out on the table in front of him. Mac was in the chair next to him, almost in the same exact position. A couple of manila folders and plastic bags sat on the table. Don was well aware of two sets of eyes on him from behind the glass. Emma had insisted on being there while Wes was interrogated, Stella was standing next to her. Usually Don would've put this foot down about Emma being there but she had begged and pleaded and finally offered to fix him dinner one night. He would've relented eventually but a home-cooked meal sounded good too.

Mac reached forward and opened one of the folders, revealing the autopsy photo of Marissa. He pushed it towards the blonde man, "You want to tell me what happened or want us to?"

Wes dared to look up, his eyes darting from the photograph to the two detectives across from him. "I don't know what happened, I already told you all that," He said in a voice just above a whisper.

Don sighed inwardly, this guy wasn't giving up easily. DNA on Marissa's body had come back to Wes's. A shoe shaped bruise on Marissa's back matched shoes found in Wes's belongings. Every sign was pointing to the blonde guitarist that Marissa had gotten caught up with. The guy had a record a mile long, mostly misdemeanors and DUI's. He'd had one assault conviction in Florida. Nothing really screamed "murderer!" until now. But Wes was maintaining his innocence, claiming he left Marissa in a bar and went about his way. But it was awfully suspicious that he up and left the way he did, so quick to leave New York. Don sat forward, picking up one of the evidence bags that held a shoe, "So you wanna tell me why there's a bruise the size and shape of your shoe on her?"

Wes's eyes narrowed at the blue-eyed detective, as if daring him to something. A fight maybe. "I don't know. And I refuse to say anything until I get a lawyer."

Mac nodded his head, "That's fine. We'll tell you what we know while we're waiting though."

The blonde man was glaring at the table, his eyes darting between the picture of Marissa and the door. He looked as if he'd try to make a run for it if he knew he stood a chance. He just shrugged his shoulders.

Mac shared a look with Don but then looked back at Wes. "Alright then. Looks like you and the victim, Marissa, got close pretty quick. You met at a bar, right? At least, that's what her friends all said. You took her out a few times, wined and dined her, all that stuff. She was real into you, wasn't she?"

Wes was still glaring at the table although now he was squirming and looking awfully uncomfortable. Don took that as his cue to take over. "So, you and Marissa went out a few times. She was into you, but you weren't to into her anymore. What, you find some other cute girl to flirt with? That's what I'm guessing anyway." Don crossed his arms over his chest, staring at the man across from him, "I just can't figure out why you'd beat her to death. And I say that because everything's pointing to you Wes. Your DNA is all over her, and so is your damn shoe."

Wes was bristling now, his eyes narrowed into tiny slits. He looked up at the two detectives, looking much like a caged animal about ready to attack. He suddenly slammed his hands down onto the table, causing Mac and Don to exchange another look. Wes stood then, leaning over the table before growling, "She deserved to die."

And then, he sat back down.

Don rasied an eyebrow, the guy had to be psycho or something. No one could go from calm to insane and back to calm in a matter of seconds without there being something wrong with them. Mac must have been thinking the same thing but he also looked highly irritated. He stood up and gathered all his things up, "You wait here for your lawyer."

Don stood and followed him out of the small room. Emma pushed herself away from the glass, looking over at her friend. "So he just admitted it, right?"

Mac rubbed his forehead with his hand, "Pretty much. He'll still get legal counsel but there's something obviously wrong with him."

"Could he plead insanity and just..get off without doing time?"

Don shook his head at her question, "Doubtful. He killed her, all signs are pointing to him."

She nodded and sighed, "I guess I thought this would be so much easier."

Stella placed a hand on her shoulder, "Never gets easier. But we've got him, he's not going to get away with it."

Emma smiled some, "Yeah I know. I guess I thought this would also be a lot more climatic than it has been."

"You watch too many cop shows." Don nudged her with his arm, "C'mon we'll go grab some coffee. Mac, you okay here?"

"Yeah, we'll wait until his lawyer shows up then go back in. I'll let you know if we need you."

Don nodded and led Emma down the hallway. The two of them were quiet as each was lost in their own thoughts. Emma had hoped this would be quick and painless. Wes would admit to it and he'd be hauled off to jail. But of course, nothing was as easy as it seemed and Wes was being difficult. Don was just wanting this to be over, the guy obviously did it and had so much as admitted it. He just didn't want the guy to get off on a technicality or from an insanity plea.

They left the precinct and headed to a small corner coffee shop. The air was still cold and crisp so something hot to wrap their hands around helped just a bit. He watched as Emma put way too much sugar and way too much cream in her coffee, more amused than anything. He laughed, "How do you not go into a sugar coma just from _that_?"

She looked up at him and smiled, "Good question. But it's the only way I can drink coffee."

He shook his head as he took his own coffee black, used to the bitter taste. They walked back outside, walking slowly back towards the precinct. "You know, you don't have to stay for the entire thing," Don said.

"I know. I'd like to though. I just think I need to see this through." She said before taking a drink of her coffee. "Plus, on another note, it's interesting to see you work. You got your interrogation skills from your dad though."

He laughed, "Why do you say that?"

"Because! He could stare down the meanest person ever and that person would crumble under the stress of the _glare_. And you do the same thing. Seriously, if you could see yourself."

He just shook his head as they kept walking. "I'm going to have to take your word for it Em."

She smiled, "So..you've been hanging around me a lot lately..isn't the girlfriend getting mad?"

He shrugged, glancing around as they approached the steps that led into the big, stone building. "Probably but I've uh..been avoiding her calls."

"Don!" Emma swatted at his coat clad arm, "Answer her phone calls, dumbass."

He laughed, "Why?"

"She's your girlfriend!"

"And she's highly bitchy, I don't feel like fighting." He shrugged, "I'll talk to her later." And with that the conversation was seemingly dropped as they entered the bustling precinct again.

* * *

Don had been called back to the interrogation room, but this time Emma wasn't with him. He'd dropped her off at the crime lab, of all places, making Danny promise to keep her entertained. Mac had gotten somewhere with Wes but wasn't sure Emma would want to hear the gory details.

Emma was on the small couch in the crime lab breakroom, watching the tv as it played on low. CNN was on and while the latest news in the Middle East was awfully entertaining, she was beginning to get antsy. But then Danny's head shot around the corner and he grinned, "You can come hang out in my office if you want. Aiden's wandering around here somewhere too, you met her?"

She stood and followed Danny down the hallway. It was much quieter up here than downstairs. But people were working meticulously on different things in the labs. Danny was located near the end of the hall in a smaller office that housed two desks, two computers, two of everything. He offered her a seat, "Aiden's cool, she's my partner usually. If she wanders in I'll introduce you two."

Emma smiled and took a seat, "I've heard about her from Don. But it seems like mine and his circles don't really meet a lot of the time."

Danny sat down behind his computer, glancing at the screen as it continued to whirrl and search through records for something he was working on. "So how you doin'?"

She shrugged, picking up a pen to play with. It gave her something to do with her hands and that's all she cared about at that point. "I'm okay, I think. Although if someone else asks me how I'm doing, I'm gonna hit someone."

He laughed, "Fair enough. I won't ask again."

She smiled, "Thanks."

"So I heard Mac found the guy.."

"Yeah they're interrogating now. We went to get coffee and apparently Wes started talking. Don didn't want me to hear details." She made a face, "I don't think I want to."

"Well Mac and Flack will definitely get the guy to crack." Danny blinked, "I think I just rhymed.."

Emma laughed, "Danny Messer, rapper extraordinaire!"

He grinned, "Hey you never know."

"I think you should just stick to your day job."

"Yeah me too." Danny shook his head as he shuffled some papers around, "So you're a photographer right?"

She nodded, "Mmhmm. Why?"

"Well just wondering what kind of stuff you do.."

"Anything that catches my eye, really. A few weeks ago I was in the park, it was pretty cold but the sun was really pretty coming through the trees. I don't know how those came out though, I haven't developed them yet. I always have a camera with me though." She laughed, "Don thinks I'm crazy for it. Or thinks that people will think I'm crazy for busting out a camera randomly."

"I've always heard that inspiration can hit anywhere."

Both looked up as the hurricane known as Aiden Burn burst into the office. She started to say something but noticed Emma there, "Who're you?"

Danny laughed, "This is Emma Lewis. She's one of Flack's friends. Emma, this is Aiden Burn."

She smiled and reached out to shake her outstretched hand, standing up, "Here I took your seat, I'm sorry."

"No way, don't worry about it. I'll just be a minute anyway. Where's Flack?" Aiden asked.

"Downstairs in interrogation. Why are you in such a rush?" Danny asked as he looked over his computer screen again.

"Well some of us do work around here Messer, what'd you think?"

He snorted, "I'm working! And entertaining. You need me for anything though?"

"Nope, I got it. I'll call you though if I need it." And then Aiden was leaving, calling over her shoulder, "nice to meet you!"

Emma laughed, looking over at Danny, "Is she always like that?"

"Of course. It's Aiden." He grinned, "You'll learn that she's like that all the time."

"Well if you're busy I can go find some place to sit for awhile.."

He shook his head, "Nope, sit. It's not everyday I have someone else to look at besides Aiden."


	15. Chapter 15

Hello, so slightly short chapter this time. I should have more than one chapter to post later on!

* * *

Don loosened his tie as he entered his darkened apartment. It'd been a long day and an even longer night. It felt like every part of him was sore from head to toe, and he hadn't even done anything _that_ strenuous. But Wes was in jail, Emma was safe at home in her own place and he had nothing to do but crash on the couch watching cheesy infomercials until he fell asleep. He flipped on the light just on the inside of the door, flooding the sparsely furnished living room in a dim yellow light. He'd just let the door close when he heard a sound coming from his bedroom. Frowning, Don kept one hand on his gun out of instinct as he made his way quietly through the apartment. It wasn't like he had much to steal if someone had broken in, but still, it was the principle of the thing. He let his hand drop from the gun when he saw one extremely high heel lying in the hallway. That could only mean one thing; Christianna had made an appearance.

Sure enough, he found her in his bedroom, perched on the bed in what he guessed was a dress. A very short dress, which meant she'd been out on the town that night. She smiled when she saw him. "You're home!"

Don groaned inwardly, hoping he'd have his place to himself for one night. That wasn't too much to ask for, right? A guy needed his own space sometimes! But he plastered a smile on his face, leaning down to hug her. "Yeah I uh..wasn't expecting anyone to be here.."

"I thought I'd surprise you," She shrugged as she sat back on the bed.

"It's definitely a surprise," He mumbled as he turned away from her to take off the suit he'd been wearing. "You go out tonight?"

She nodded even though he wasn't paying her the least bit of attention. "Sure did, me and some of the girls did. You should really come out with us one night, it'd be so much fun. They keep asking me where you are and I keep having to tell them you're at work."

Obviously she had no idea how demanding his job was and she tended to forget the shifts he worked and never understood why sometimes he was late when it came to closing a case. She usually tried to put a guilt trip on him and while the pouty lips and puppy-dog eyes tended to work on him sometimes, Don never felt bad when it came to his job. He shook his head as he pulled an old t-shirt over his head, glancing back at her, "I keep trying to explain to you why I'm late or can't show up for things. It's not like I can just leave when I'm in the middle of something."

She tilted her head, "You could if you really wanted to."

He rolled his eyes as he looked away from her, shoving his work clothes into the clothes hamper before walking out of the bedroom. He went into the kitchen and grabbed a beer, even though it was late and he should really think about getting some sleep. He leaned against the counter as he twisted the cap off, watching as Christianna strolled into the kitchen a moment later. He had no idea when she got to be so damn annoying but at that moment, she was really grating on his nerves. "So did you finish whatever it was that had to do with that..girl Emma knew?" She asked as she stood in front of him.

"That was one of her really good friends. And almost done. We found the ex-boyfriend, although he swears up and down he didn't do it. I think he's crazier than shit though," He said before taking another drink.

Christianna shrugged her shoulders as she turned to open the fridge, grabbing something to drink for herself. "How's Emma?"

That had to be the first time she'd every asked anything about Emma that wasn't followed with a put-down or insult of some kind. He raised an eyebrow, slightly interested to see where this would go. "She's holding up better than I thought she would be. I think she'll be better once that guy is put behind bars."

She nodded, "Was she there today?"

Ah, so _that's _where she was going with it. Obviously Christianna had some notion that Emma was just hanging around Don for the hell of it, like it was some sort of party at the precinct. "She was. She wanted to watch some of the interrogation. I sent her up to Danny later on in the day though, didn't think she wanted to hear the gory details," He answered, keeping an eye on her.

"Is she going out with Danny?"

He fought the grin that threatened to spread over his face. Underneath it all, Christianna was highly jealous of Emma. She hated that Emma could command a room without being indecent and she could hang with guys just as easily as she could girls. She was fishing for something now, although he couldn't be sure why. He shook his head after a moment's silence, "No. I tried to hook the two of them up but, Danny said she's not his type."

"Doesn't surprise me. I have no idea who would be Emma's type," Christianna blurted out. Obviously her little plan wasn't working. The "pretending to care" moment had ended.

Don laughed before he stepped forward, kissing her forehead. "Don't be jealous Chris."

She watched as he left the kitchen and narrowed her eyes some before following him. "Oh I am not jealous of her. She has nothing I'd be jealous of!"

He stopped in the hallway long enough to bend down to grab the discarded high heel and then continued on his trek to the bedroom. It took Don a moment to find the matching shoe but he picked that up as well, holding them out to her. She looked at him strangely, "What are you doing?"

"I'm giving you your shoes," He answered simply.

Christianna snatched the shoes from him, "Why?"

"Because I am tired. I want to go to bed. You are going home." And with that, Don turned and left the bedroom.

She stalked behind him, her feet stomping on the floor. He briefly wondered if his neighbors could hear her but oh well, maybe they wouldn't have to deal with her stomping feet any longer. He opened the door and took a step back from it, motioning her out. Christianna glared at him and then made a sound that was something like a growl, going out into the hallway before she put on her shoes, making her almost his height. "You are an asshole, Flack."

Don gave her a tired look, "And you're a bitch. Bye Chris." And with that, he closed the door.

He also made sure to flip the lock. He stood there listening to her simmer and curse him through the door but she eventually left and all was quiet. He sighed and turned off the light, feeling his way back down the hallway to his bedroom. And when he finally laid down, it didn't take him long to fall into the best sleep he'd had in awhile.

* * *

Emma was not as lucky as Don to be getting some well deserved sleep. She'd tried and done every ritual and trick known to man to make herself go to sleep, but no dice. She was lying on her back in her bed, the blankets pushed down to her feet. She was wide awake no matter how hard she tried. Her mind was just going too fast to sleep at the moment and it was beginning to drive her mad. Emma had come home with every intention of sleeping but bits and pieces of Wes's interrogation kept replaying over and over in her head. Images of what her friend must have gone through, bits of the last few conversations her and Marissa had had. Emma closed her eyes, silently willing her brain to turn itself off just for a little while. She was going to be a zombie the next morning and she actually had to get up for work. She'd be no good if she couldn't sleep.

Emma groaned and rolled onto her side, wishing for once that her apartment wasn't so quiet. She thought for a second of bugging Don to see if he was awake but he'd had a longer day than she; he was probably well into dream land. Sighing, she pushed herself out of bed. She grabbed a blanket and a pillow, making her way out to the couch in her living room. She made herself comfortable on her make-shift bed before turning on the tv, flipping through a few channels before she landed on some History channel show. It wasn't as weird as "The History of the Lawn Mower" (which she'd actually sat and watched before) but it wasn't something her mind would concentrate too hard on either. She laid down with her eyes on the tv and while she tried to pay attention, it didn't last long and soon she was asleep too.


	16. Chapter 16

Two chapters for you all! Chapter 18 should be up sometime later, I've got it started but it's late and I need to sleep sometime (ugh work sucks..can I just get paid to write?) Enjoy!

* * *

He had no idea what possessed him to bring Emma to a shooting range. He liked to blame it on that fact that he was now mostly girlfriend-less. Either that or he was just completely crazy. But Don was bored, it was his day off and he needed to get rid of some tension. And a cop could always tend to work on their target practice, right? He'd been surprised that Emma agreed to tag along, mostly because she was terrified of guns (or so she'd said). But here they were on a Saturday afternoon at a public shooting range. He'd gone first, trying not to laugh too hard as she let out a shriek that would wake the dead when he took the first shot. Other people in the area looked at them strangely but Emma pretended not to notice.

He was standing behind her, instructing her on how to stand properly and how to hold the gun properly. She was more nervous than she let on, mostly because the thought of shooting a gun scared the hell out of her. But she figured there was no one better to learn from than someone who actually had to use a gun in their line of work. She looked up at him, surprised to find him as close as he was to her, "So um..you just point and shoot, right?"

Don laughed, "Mostly, yes. Don't let any of my superiors hear me say that though, they'd go into a rant about aiming correctly and stuff." He put his arms around hers, his hand resting on top of hers, "So just aim for the target."

"Can I aim for the crotch area?"

He made a face even though she couldn't see before shaking his head, "How about no? Aim up north a little, Em."

She laughed, "Well! Who knows, one day I might need to shoot an ex-boyfriend and I'm going to make damn sure he can't have children!"

Don shook his head again, "Don't make me take the gun away from you."

"Fine fine. I'll aim higher. Chest okay?" She asked, looking up at him again.

His eyes locked with hers and he blanked out for a minute. She did just ask him somethimg, right? Blinking a couple of times he finally nodded, "Yeah, yeah that's fine."

She smiled and nodded, looking back at the target. "So just aim and squeeze," He said before stepping back from her.

He'd told her not to close her eyes but she was standing completely still with her eyes squeezed closed as tight as she could get them. Don laughed, "Emma!"

One eye opened and then the other, forgetting that they were both wearing the required protective gear. Finally she sucked in a deep breath and held it, squeezing the trigger. Emma flinched as the gun fired but kept her eyes open, letting out another shriek as the bullet went right through the upper chest area of the target. "That's awesome!"

Don laughed again, reaching around her to take the gun from her just in case she spun around. "Not bad for a beginner."

"Beginner my ass, I've just been hiding my super secret sniper abilities for awhile now." She grinned, nudging him with her hip as she stepped to the side.

"Yeah sure. Maybe the NYPD needs to hire you then." He smiled as he flipped the safety on the gun, motioning for her to follow him.

Emma didn't really know why she'd tagged along to a gun range of all places but it was good to be out of the apartment. Sleep had begun to come easier over the past few days which was helped by the fact that Wes had finally confessed at the advice of his lawyer. There was going to be a trial and she planned on being there but at least now, there felt like there was some closure at least. Marissa's parents had dropped by the day before, leaving a box of Emma's belongings behind. She'd forgotten leaving those things at Marissa's apartment and it was a little sad going through everything and coming upon a few pictures. But while it was sad, it was also nice that she had those things to remember the wild and goofy things the two women had gotten up to in college. Emma had haphazardly started a scrapbook awhile back but now had a new page that was just going to feature Marissa and the pictures she had. But the best thing that could happen to Emma was to keep her mind off of everything. It helped to keep busy because when she was busy her mind didn't have time to start thinking over everything again.

Following behind Don she slipped her hands into the pockets of her jeans, a little thankful that the two of them were out of the room with all the noise and bullets flying. She took off the protective gear (including dorky glasses) and set them on the counter, "So what are we doing now?"

He laughed, "No more shooting for you."

She rolled her eyes, "Please. I was better than you!"

"You shot once!"

She just shrugged and walked towards the door, "Come on old man, let's go find something to do."

"Old? Are you calling me old?" Don pretended to look hurt as he followed her out into the parking lot, "Em that hurts my heart, how could you? I'm so going to call your mom."

"Hey she'd like that, she thinks you're _cuuute_." Emma laughed as they walked to his car, "By the way I have to go to Georgia soon. I'm a little nervous.."

"What for?" He couldn't remember the last time she'd even talked of visiting Georgia. It seemed the city had taken over her heart.

"Cousin's baby shower." She smiled, "I'm a little excited too though. I haven't been back in..forever it seems like."

He unlocked the doors to his car and they both got inside. "I was about to say I can't remember the last time you even talked about Georgia." He grinned, "You gonna come back with one of them accents?"

She laughed, "Probably. Although I'm sure my whole family will think I've got the worst New York accent."

"They'll think you're a Yankee!" He gasped, "The horror!"

Emma leaned over, punching him in the shoulder. "They will not." She sat back in the seat as Don started the car, pulling out of the spot he'd parked in and out onto the street, "Oh my goodness, I had the best idea.."

"If you say I should come to Georgia, I'm gonna kick you out of the car," He said, glancing over at her. Her eyes had lit up and she looked like a little kid who had gotten their Christmas present early.

She let out another laugh, turning her head to look out the window as the streets passed by them. "Well I _was _going to suggest you come with me since my mother loves you so much. But I see how it is. I get dragged to every Flack holiday and party and you can't even make an appearance at a Lewis family function."

Don scrunched up his nose; it was true that he'd taken Emma to a lot of his own family functions when he went but he wasn't so sure about flying to Georgia. For one thing, flying on a plane made him a tad anxious anyway (not that he would ever admit it). And for another thing, what in the world would he do at a baby shower? "Emma, it's...Georgia."

"You say it like it's a bad thing! It's not a bad state, you know. There's lots of stuff to do there." She stuck out her lower lip in the best pout she could muster, leaning over towards him, "Please Don? I'll be your best friend?"

He snorted, pushing her back towards her own seat, "That does not work on me..."

She kept up with the pouting, including the puppy dog eyes she'd perfected as a child. "Please? Don...come on."

"Emma I do work, you know."

"So! It's not like it's tomorrow. We have a good two months, plenty of time to ask off." She smiled sweetly, "I'll call your mom and tell her you won't come with me."

Don glared at her, his mother had a soft spot for Emma. She was like a daughter to his mother, and he knew if Emma mentioned anything to her then he was going to get one hell of a guilt trip. He sighed loudly. Between the puppy dog eyes, the adorable pout and the threat of telling his mother, Don was losing a battle. "Lemme think about it," He said grumpily.

Emma grinned, "Yes! That's good enough for me!"

"You know whatever guy you end up with is in for a world of trouble," He pointed out.

She sat back in the seat, satified with his almost-yes answer and nodded her head, "Of course."

He laughed, shaking his head as they moved into the traffic leading into the city.

* * *

Monday rolled around and Emma found herself bored at work. Classical music flowed softly from the speakers and while usually it was calming, that morning it was just making time go by that much slower. She was by herself for a few hours, until Marianne would show up. There were a few appointments that would be showing up but until then, Emm was stuck with classical music and a piece of paper to doodle on. She got distracted from her stick figure drawing by watching people as they walked hurriedly whereever they were going. That was one thing that had always amused her about New York. People were always in a hurry to get some place. Meanwhile, she'd take her sweet time walking down the street to the store or whereever it was she was going. It annoyed Don and her other friends, he'd practically drag her down the street just because he was in a hurry. 

She covered a yawn and went back to drawing on the piece of paper, thankful when Marianne showed up early. She was an older woman like Luisa with graying hair and brown eyes. She was a nice woman but she was very business-like so while her and Emma didn't stand around talking about what they'd done over the weekend, least it meant Emma wasn't sitting behind a desk doodling anymore. Emma slid down off the chair was she sitting on, going to help Marianne uncover some of the prints that people were going to be working at.

As slow and as good as her day was going, Emma shouldn't have been surprised when there was a wrench thrown into the day. She was standing in front of a print of the Empire State Building, looking closely at it when she heard _that_ voice. It grated her nerves, causing tingles to rush up her spine. Emma looked over her shoulder and groaned inwardly, Christianna had shown up with a few other stuffy looking people. Of course, she was dressed to the nines in a pantsuit that Emma would be afraid to know the price of. Every hair on her head was in perfect place, her make-up perfect as well. No doubt, she probably used some insanely priced cosmetic products. Marianne walked to the front to greet the group of snotty looking people and Emma tore herself away from the Empire State Building picture to do the same. She put on her best business face and shook hands with the two men, the one woman and then Christianna. Christianna narrowed her eyes but didn't say anything but definitely recognized Emma.

She followed Marianne and the group around as Marianne showed them the different paintings and pictures they were apparently interested in. Whoever these people with Christianna were, they had money and were looking to spend a whole lot of it. Emma went back to the front to answer the phone about twenty minutes after the group had entered. She was surprised to find Christianna standing beside her when she hung up. "Um..hi..," Emma stuttered, internally cursing herself for sounding like such an idiot.

Christianna plastered a smile on her face but it was very fake, and very obviously fake. "Hi Emma. How are you doing?" She said sweetly.

Emma moved around the register, glancing out the door. People were still rushing past the glass and she halfway wished she could join them, just to avoid a Christianna confrontation. "I'm good, how have you been?" She said, trying to at least be polite and hospitable.

"Oh I'm fine. I suppose you've heard..." Christianna said as she trailed off, glancing over her shoulder where the woman, two men and Marianne were still conversing. She leaned her hip against the desk, turning her head back to pay attention to Emma.

Now Emma was racking her brain, trying to figure out what she was talking about. She didn't know what she was supposed to hear...did she? She shook her head after a moment because obviously, Christianna was looking for an answer. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Christianna scoffed, moving closer to the other woman. She was looking down her nose at Emma, as if she were on a much higher step than her. "Oh _please_. You have to know. And I bet you'd be the cause of it," She said crossing her arms in front of her.

Emma frowned then, having absolutely no idea what the woman was talking about. How could she be the cause of it when she didn't even know what _it_ was? She shook her head again, eyeing the blonde carefully. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about but I'm sure whatever it is, I'm not the cause of it."

"Oh please! Don and I broke up, you dimwit."

Emma's eyes widened in shock and she exclaimed, "What!" loudly before she could stop herself. She turned a bright red as everyone in the gallery turned to look at her. She grabbed Christianna's arm and led her towards the front doors more, "What are you talking about?"

"We broke up." She stared at the shorter woman, "You didn't know?"

"What? No!" Emma shook her head, "Why in the hell would I know you two broke up? How did you two break up?"

"He kicked me out the other night, the asshole. Said I was a bitch." She did a very good acting job of looking hurt, as if she were the victim.

Emma bit her tongue to keep from saying something along the lines of _"well he was completely right"_ and tried to act like she cared that Christianna was hurting or whatever it was she was going on about. It was a bit of a shock because as annoying as Christianna could be and was, Don seemed to really like her. Emma put her hand on the other woman's arm, "I'm really sorry, that's horrible. Are you sure it's over though?"

Christianna laughed bitterly, "Oh I am not going back to anyone who embarrasses me like that. It's definitely his loss."

Emma smiled some, nodding her head but she didn't say anything. Somehow she couldn't help but think that it was Don's gain to have gotten rid of her. It was a really amusing thought to imagine him kicking her out though, she was sure Christianna had thrown a huge fit.

The group left not long after that, having bought a couple of paintings from the gallery. Emma was thankful that Christianna was out of her hair, it'd been hard to act nice to the woman when she wasn't exactly nice to her. Marianne closed the gallery not long after that which meant they'd both get home at a decent hour. Once Emma was out on the street, immersed in with the crowds of people heading every which way, she grabbed her cell phone and dialed Don's, not expecting him to answer. He didn't and his voicemail finally picked up. She sucked in a deep breath before she started to ramble, "So how dare you not tell me you broke up with your girlfriend? I mean, I thought we were better friends than that! No I'm kidding but way to tell a friend, geez Flack. You're probably wondering how I found out but she came into my work earlier with some really annoying people and tried to blame the whole thing on me. Me, of all people! So yeah, call me back and tell me what the hell happened. This is too good to be true because really, I didn't like her and I've seen you with a lot of girlfriends before." She hung up the phone and stuffed it back into her purse, heading down into the subway to go home.


	17. Chapter 17

Don listened to his voicemail as he walked down the hallway of the crime lab, heading towards Danny's office. He laughed at Emma's voicemail, making a mental note to call her when he had longer than a minute. He hadn't thought to tell her about him and Christianna, mostly because he wasn't sure where him and Christianna stood. He'd gotten used to having a girlfriend and now suddenly he didn't have one, what in the world was he going to do now?

Entering the lab, he found Danny sitting in front of his computer. He glanced up at the detective, "Hey Flack."

"Hey. You got those results yet?" He asked he switched into Detective mode.

"Not yet, they're still running. You coming out with me and Aiden tonight?" Danny questioned as he looked back at his computer, clicking a few things with the mouse.

Don nodded, "Yeah I was thinking about it. As long as I get everything wrapped up, I should be good to go."

Danny grinned some, "So heard from the ex-girlfriend?"

"Nope. But I just got a voicemail from Emma," Don started as he leaned against Danny's desk. "Apparently Chris showed up at her workplace said I broke up with her and kicked her out."

"Ohh you hadn't told Emma? Good job, genius." Danny laughed, shaking his head, "I bet that was an interesting time."

"Yeah Emma said Chris tried to blame it on _her_. Which is just...just stupid." He shrugged, "So yeah...don't think I'll be hearing from Christianna again."

Danny smiled, glancing at his friend, "You ever thought about going out with her?"

"Who?"

Danny gave him a look, sometimes Don was so dense. "Emma. Dumbass."

"Why would I go out with Emma?"

"Because she's cute?" Danny shrugged, "She's hot, you idiot."

Both men looked up as Aiden entered, setting a manila folder down on the desk, "Who's hot?"

"No one," Don said at the same time as Danny said, "Emma."

"Emma...Emma...OH! Is that that woman that was in here with you that one time, Danny?" She asked as she pushed Don out of the way to sit down.

He nodded, "Yeah. You think she was cute?"

"Yeah she was pretty." Aiden shrugged, "Better lookin' than that blonde that was hanging around you Flack."

"What is this, rag on my ex girlfriends day? Geez." Don shook his head as he stood up, grabbing the manila folder, "These my results Aiden?"

She nodded as she clicked a few things on her own computer, "Sure are."

Danny laughed, "Don't change the subject Flack."

"I'm not! Emma's just...a friend. And yeah she's pretty but I just...that'd be weird, okay?" He was getting uncomfortable and it was becoming obvious to the two CSI's. Aiden grinned as she watched the detective squirm in front of them, "Invite her tonight."

"What?"

Danny nodded in agreement, "Yeah! Get her to come out with us tonight."

He groaned, turning to go to the door, "Whatever. I'll think about it."

The two CSI's were quiet until Don had left their office, off to go back downstairs. Aiden was the first to speak, "He should really just ask her out already."

Danny looked over at her, "She is really nice, sweet too. You should see them together, Aid. They flirt without even knowing they're flirting."

Aiden smiled, "Well he obviously cares about her."

"Yeah." Danny nodded, "Least he got rid of that blonde though. She came out with us one night and I swear, one woman has never whined so much. I wanted to throttle her."

Aiden laughed, "I only met her once. She acted like I was some threat to her or something, it was weird."

He stood up, gathering some paperwork, "Hopefully Emma shows up tonight."

* * *

Danny and Flack watched in slight horror as Emma and Aiden cracked up over something the two of them couldn't even begin to understand. Danny was beginning to wonder if something had been slipped into the two women's drinks. They'd met up around 9 that night at a bar near the precinct; Emma and Aiden had bonded immediately while making fun of guys and the stupid things they did. Danny and Flack could only watch.

Flack reached across the table, grabbing the beer bottle from in front of Emma, "I think you've had enough little lady."

She snorted, reaching out to grab it back. "Oh please! We're just having fun and your all's expense. You should really be used to it by now."

Aiden laughed, "I know Danny's used to it, I pick on him enough as it is."

"Hey now, that is not true. At least not completely true," Danny said.

Emma took a drink of her beer again, setting it back down on the table. "On a serious note, this has been just what I needed." She nodded, "This has been a lot of fun."

Aiden smiled, "It has definitely been fun. And hey least I'm not the only female stuck with these dorks.."

"Stella comes out sometimes," Flack pointed out.

"True, true. And she does pick on you. But Emma had stories from the past, do you have pictures too? Oh god I bet Flack had the worst 80's hair.." Aiden laughed at the mental image, leaning heavily against Emma as both women cracked up again.

Flack and Danny shared a look before each took a drink of their beers. "It's gonna be a long night," Danny muttered.

Flack nodded in agreement, "You got that right."

* * *

Emma had her arm looped through Don's as he walked her up to her apartment. It was sometime after 2 a.m. and both were more than slightly tipsy. The group had left the bar last, Danny and Aiden grumbling about having to work the next day. Emma stopped to dig her keys out of her purse, "We drank way too damn much."

He laughed, leaning against the wall next to her door. "I think we definitely drank way too much. How in the hell am I gonna get home?"

She pulled her keys out and promptly dropped them on the floor. Both of them bent down to pick up the keys and managed to knock their heads together. Emma groaned, reaching up to rub her forehead, "You have the hardest head!"

Don laughed again as he stood up, her keys in hand. "You do too, you know!"

She just gave him a look, watching as he stood in front of her, unlocking the door. He pushed it open and the two of them went inside. She dropped her purse on the floor and proceeded to kick her shoes off, "You could always stay here, you know. Remember, last time we were too drunk I stayed at your place."

He nodded as he laid his suit jacket over her couch, "You care if I stay here?"

Emma went into the kitchen, knowing if she didn't start drinking water then she'd have a horrible hangover in the morning. "Nope! You know you don't have to ask, Don. It's not like we met like two days ago." She grabbed a bottle of water for herself and one for him, handing it to him, "Tonight was a lot of fun."

"It was. I'm glad you and Aiden got along."

She laughed, "Oh she is hilarious! I think we might go out for lunch. Plus it was nice to get to make fun of you and Danny."

He rolled his eyes with a smile. "Yeah yeah, just wait..next time it'll be your all's turn."

Emma shrugged as she stood in front of him, "You just have lots of embarrassing junior high stories to tell."

"And high school stories. As in, that dork you dated senior year." Don grinned, leaning in closer to her, "Seriously, he was a jerk."

"Yeah well, we all make mistakes." She shrugged again, looking up at him, "Are you glad you broke up with Christianna?"

He smiled some, nodding his head just slightly, "Yes. She just got to be...annoying. And she never understood my job." He shrugged his shoulders some, "It kinda sucks to be single though, got used to having a girlfriend."

"Oh like you'll be single for long. You're hot!" Emma blurted out before she really thought about what she was saying.

Don grinned, watching as she turned an adorable shade of pink once she realized what she'd said. "Oh really now?"

Normally she just wouldn't bust out with something like that but most of it was thanks to the alcohol she'd consumed that night. She turned a deeper shade of pink and pulled away from him, "I'm tired. Are you tired?"

He laughed as he followed her towards the bedroom, "I'll be tired if I don't have to sleep on your couch.."

"I think we can share a bed, we've done it before. You just can't hog the covers," She said. Emma crawled up on the bed and laid down, "I'm way too lazy to change..is that bad?"

He shrugged before he crawled up on the bed, lying down next to her. He was tired and a bit drunk and could stand to sleep most of it off. Don covered a yawn, "Aiden said I should go out with you.."

Emma's eyes were closed until he started talking. One eye opened slowly and she stared at him. He looked about half asleep as it was and was mumbling drunkenly. Emma stretched out on the bed, "Why would you go out with me?"

"Well you _are _hot," He mumbled sleepily.

She laughed at that and was expecting more to come out of his mouth but, Don was too far gone and was soon snoring away. Emma smiled as she moved closer to him, closing her eyes. One of his arms moved around her as she curled up against him, and soon Emma was asleep too.


	18. Chapter 18

_And I am back! Sorry for the delay in posting lately. Writer's block + working a ton and well...you get the picture. But I hope to be back on a regular updating schedule now that I know where I want the story to go and should have some time on my hands. Anyway, enjoy the chapter (even though it's fairly short) and there should be another chapter or two added later on ._

* * *

She woke up first the next morning, the sunlight filtering in through the blinds on her window. Emma groaned softly and rubbed at her face, trying to get rid of the haziness that her head was in. She looked over next to her and smiled at the sight that was taking over the other half of her bed. Oh, _this_ was priceless and too cute to not do something about. She tried not to giggle too much as she crawled out of the bed as carefully as she could as not to disturb the still sleeping Don. She tripped over one of her shoes from the night before and nearly fell flat on her ass but somehow with all the noise she made, Don didn't move. She managed to reach the dresser and picked up the camera from where it was sitting. It had been on top of there for the past week or so, she hadn't had a lot of time to do anything with it or even develop any of the pictures she'd already taken. She smiled and tiptoed around the bed, standing at the side of the bed, holding up the camera to her eye. 

_Click._ Emma pulled the camera down and grinned. Don was lying on his side with one hand tucked under the pillow, the other arm thrown over onto what was her side of the bed. His legs were pulled up some, since his legs were too long and would've been hanging off the end of the bed. He was still in his clothes from the night before and now they were wrinkled but the whole scene was too cute to ignore. Of course the picture would be used for blackmail if the situation ever came up but other than that, she was sticking it in her scrapbook.

Emma took another picture and then rushed to stick the camera under the bed as Don began to stir. He rolled onto his back and yawned, stretching out on the bed. He lifted his head and smiled when he saw her standing at the foot of the bed, mumbling "Mornin'.."

"Mornin'. Hung over much?"

Don groaned before rolling onto his stomach, burying his face in the pillow. "I am not hung over," He mumbled into the pillow.

She laughed and sat down on the edge of the bed before moving to lay down next to him. He turned his head to look at her, "You don't look so hung over.."

"That's because I'm not." She grinned, looking over at him, "by the way you are very comfortable to sleep next to."

Don laughed, "See, always knew you wanted in my pants."

He grunted loudly as she hit him in the stomach before erupting into laughter again, rolling away from her.

* * *

She was standing in the kitchen, washing a couple days worth of dishes while Don was in the bedroom on the phone. They'd been laying there about half asleep when his cell began to ring obnoxiously. To give him privacy, Emma had left to try to clean up around her place. It was weird how comfortable she was just laying in bed with him. It wasn't romantic or anything in the least of course because both were trying to battle hangover headaches that were threatening to overcome them. They were just friends. And friends sometimes sleep in each other's beds when the situation permits, right? She groaned inwardly, trying to stop the inner monologue from continuing and making her slight headache worse. It was bad when her mind was ganging up on her. Bits and pieces of the conversation from the night before came back, she honestly couldn't believe how drunk either of them had gotten. Both tended to ramble on about nothing when they had a little too much alcohol. That had to be where the "you are hot" comment had come from. They weren't like that at all. 

Emma was trying hard to convince herself of that when she heard him come out of the bedroom. He was pulling on his jacket, stuffing his cell phone back into his pocket. "Danny wanted to know if we were as hungover as he is."

"What? He didn't even drink that much! Did he?" Emma laughed as she came out of the kitchen, "I have a little headache but that's about it."

He shrugged, "I'm alright I think. He was very pissed off that we seem to be good. He said he's felt like shit since he woke up, doesn't help he's gotta work tonight."

"I bet he'll be okay by the time he goes in." She smiled, "So you headed home?"

"Yeah I think I smell like alcohol and it's not really that pleasant.." Don laughed, rubbing a hand over his face, "no more drinking for awhile."

She nodded, "Oh I agree on that one."

He walked closer to her and for a split second Emma wondered if he was about to kiss her. But he didn't, instead bending down to give her a hug, "Thanks for coming out last night..I think we both needed to get out."

"I think so too. And hey, least there's another girl I can talk about you with now.." She smiled as she stepped back, moreso out of nervousness than anything else.

"Just remember I got stories on you too." He shot her a grin as he went to the front door and pulled it open, "I'll call you later."

Emma watched as he left and once the door had clicked closed, she let out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding. She shook her head as she continued cleaning up around the apartment. Since when did she think about _Don_ kissing _her_? That was just strange. Of course he was attractive but she wasn't his type. At all. At least in _her _thinking, she wasn't.

* * *

Later that evening, Don found himself half dozing and half watching whatever was on the tv at the time. He'd spent most of the day alternating between sleeping and just vegging out. It'd been a nice way to spend a day. Pushing himself up off the couch, he grabbed his apartment phone and went into the kitchen to find something to appease his growling stomach. He dialed a few numbers, then held the phone between his ear and shoulder while he dug through one of the cabinets. 

"Hello?"

He smiled when he heard Emma's voice, figuring she'd either be out for the evening or asleep. "Hey, told you I'd call later."

She laughed on the other end, "so you did! what's going on?"

"Well I am standing in my kitchen right now trying to find something to eat. But before that I was sitting in front of my tv. It's exciting, let me tell ya." It might have been strange to any outsider that he spent so much time with a female that was just his friend or that he spent so much time on the phone with someone who was just a friend. But to him it made complete sense because Emma got _him_ and understood. She would tell him like it was and was always there to listen when he wanted to whine or complain about something. So to him it didn't seem weird, even if it did to other people.

Emma was in her own apartment, dressed in her pajamas while she sat on her bed with a couple of magazines she'd been reading. She smiled, "Yes, that is so exciting. I'm totally jealous."

"As you should be! So what are you doing?" He found some microwave popcorn and put a bag into the microwave before pushing a couple of buttons.

"Not a whole lot, reading the latest gossip. So what, no hot date tonight? I'm shocked Don."

He laughed, "Nah not yet. That's tomorrow night. _Not_."

"What, are you scarred from Christianna's wrath?" She held the phone against her shoulder as she flipped through one of the magazines lying on the bed, "Couldn't blame you if you were, to be honest."

"Not really, no. It's kind of nice to be at home though. Although, I have gotten my fill of the news and other crap on tv." The microwave beeped and he grabbed a bowl to set it on the counter. He pulled the bag out of the microwave and opened the bag up, pouring the contents into the bowl, "What, no date for you?"

Emma shook her head even though he couldn't see her. "Nah. I do agree with you, it's nice to be at home. Plus, I do have to work in the morning."

Don made his way back into the living room once he had his popcorn and something to drink. He sat down, holding the phone against his ear with one hand before reaching over to mute the volume on the tv. "So when are you going to have a big gallery showing?"

"Psh at this rate? Never. Marianne is very picky, very very picky. Plus I'm not sure my stuff is what she'd want to show." She smiled, "Can I ask you something now?"

"You already did," He said teasingly.

She laughed, "Okay smartass, seriously."

"Yes yes, ask away."

"Well I was just wondering, did you give any more thought to coming to Georgia? My mom was asking the other day when I talked to her."

Don audibly groaned into the phone, having not really thought too much about the whole Georgia thing. He still hated flying..and baby showers, for that matter. "Emma I don't know."

"Oh come on, it'll be fun! You can make fun of how everyone talks?"

He laughed, "Emma.."

"My mother will kill you if you don't?" Emma said sweetly.

That might be true and he knew that. Emma's mother was a firecracker and had insisted that he make a trip to visit her. He sighed before grumbling, "I'll see if I can get the time off."

She let out a squeal before clapping her hands, "YES! I don't have to do this baby shower thing on my own! I might love you forever."

He flinched at the sound of her squealing, holding the phone away from his ear. "Yeah thanks I'm now deaf."

"Oh..sorry.." She laughed, "Sorry I didn't mean it. Seriously, it'll be fun. And it's just for a couple of days, I'll let you know the exact dates tomorrow."

"That's fine Em." He couldn't help but smile, even if he was grumbling about tagging along to Georgia with her. Who knows, this could be a good trip. It wasn't like he got to take a vacation very often.

"Okay. I'll let you go but I'll call and leave a voicemail later or something when the dates, okay?"

Don laughed softly, knowing she was way too excited that he was coming with, he could just tell by the tone of her voice. "All right, I'll talk to you later. And tell your mom not to kill me."

The two of them ended their conversation shortly thereafter and Don moved to set the phone down on the small coffee table in front of him. He laid his head back against the couch and closed his eyes before mumbling, "I _hate_ flying damnit."


	19. Chapter 19

_So can you all believe we're almost to chapter 20? I can't! Here's one chapter I've been working on. This was meant to be posted yesterday but I've been having trouble with a pinched nerve in my arm, so it makes writing sporadic as it starts hurting right when I get into writing so then I have to **stop** and then come back later. So hopefully this will get better soon (gr it's more irritating than anything). Chapter 20 should be posted soon though!_

_

* * *

_

He stared at her in disbelief (and amusement) as she bounced from foot to foot, unable to stand still for more than two seconds at a time. Her bags were at her feet as they waited in line to check-in at LaGuardia the morning they were flying to Georgia. Emma was nervous and anxious but she'd always loved flying, much to Don's chagrin. It wasn't that he was _scared _of flying because damnit, he wasn't scared of anything! '_It's just a phobia_' He thought as he watched her bouncing around again. He just didn't like not having control of the situation and if he had it his way, he'd elbow his way into the cockpit and fly the plane himself, if he knew how to that is. Ema was wringing her hands together, glancing over at him from time to time. Don looked the epitome of calmness and to her, that didn't seem fair. She couldn't stop fidgeting. She was excited to fly, seeing everything from above was so neat and she loved flying through the clouds. But she was nervous about being back in Georgia after all this time. It also didn't help that her mother, Linda, had told _everyone_ she was bringing Don. And everyone thought they were boyfriend and girlfriend. She inwardly groaned, having not told Don any of that for fear of him deciding not to tag along. She knew if he was there then she'd have a better defense against the rest of her family, some of them could be very irritating when they wanted to be. She jumped when he nudged her and looked up, "What?"

He grinned, pointing in front of them, "The line moved."

"Oh!" Emma picked up her bags and moved forward a couple of feet. "Sorry.."

"Yeah you looked like you were thinkin' real hard." He laughed as he stepped up behind her, "You excited?"

She nodded her head, "A little. More nervous than anything. I haven't been back since I was a kid, so this'll be an experience." She turned her head to look at him, "And thanks..for coming. I know you're scared of flying."

"I am not _scared_. I just don't like it." He shrugged, "It's a phobia. There's a difference."

Emma just gave him a weird look before looking forward again. He'd finally admitted to not being totally comfortable with flying but it wasn't too long of a flight, he'd just have to deal with it. That and she promised him drinks one night.

"So..your cousin Jenny is having the kid?" He asked after they checked in and sent their bags off.

She nodded as they walked towards security to go through to their terminal. They still had about an hour to waste before their flight would be leaving. "Yep. A girl. I haven't seen her in forever, I mean she came up here once a few years ago but since she got married and all that I haven't seen her."

"Well this should be interesting. I don't have to do the whole baby shower thing...right?"

Emma smiled, shaking her head, "Nope! I won't subject you to that kind of torture. Her husband seems nice, his name's Dave. I've met him briefly when they were still dating. Mom loves him though, she always gushes about him."

"Whew, I was afraid I'd have to play baby games and shit." He grinned, waiting for her outside of the security area.

She groaned as something on her beeped and she had to take everything out of her pockets, then walk through again. Finally she was allowed through with her carry-on and hurried over to him, "Least I didn't get felt up.."

He laughed, "I figured I'd be the one to be searched."

"You're a cop, I'm sure if you just whipped out your badge they'd let you do anything you wanted."

"Hmm...think they'd let me fly the plane?" Don grinned again as the two of them walked to their terminal.

"Uh no. I won't be on the flight if you're flying it, thanks." She nudged him with her hip, "Sorry about your luck."

"Damn.." He laughed, "that's too bad Em."

"Yeah then you'll be subjected to my family all alone. You sure you want that? I mean, I'm pretty sure my mom has told everyone all about you."

He raised an eyebrow at that, looking over at her, "Uh oh, is that bad?"

"Not bad. But I think some of my family members think we're um..._together_." Emma shrugged her shoulders, wringing her hands together again, "I mean I told her we're, you know, not but apparently because I hang around with someone of the opposite sex we're automatically dating."

Don shook his head, "That's not bad Emma. I can always play boyfriend if I need to."

"Yeah right." She laughed, looking down at her watch, "We still have time to kill."

They'd reached the terminal their flight would be leaving from. Several other people were sitting in the chairs but other than that, it was just them. Emma sat down with her carry-on at her feet, watching as he did the same. "This is a random question and you're allowed to punch me if it's crossing some line but, you gonna see your dad while we're down there?"

Emma shrugged again, keeping her eyes on the newspaper lying in the empty chair to her right. She'd been asked the same thing by her mom, who knew where Emma's dad was living. She'd thought about it the past couple of weeks, going back and forth about wanting to see him and then not wanting to. After all, it wasn't like he tried to see her or contact with her after the divorce. He'd made no effort, so should she be the one to initiate contact? She sighed as she sat back in the seat, "I don't know really. Mom asked me the same thing. I'd like to but at the same time, I don't. So..we'll see I guess."

He smiled some, nodding, "That makes sense. And if you do go see him, I'll tag along and all that. You know, moral support and all."

"Really? Thanks Don.."

"No problem." He sat back in his own chair, stretching his legs out in front of him, "I cannot believe I'm going to Georgia."

"Well it's not like mom lives in the boondocks. Savannah is an actual city believe it or not." She laughed, "You act like I'm taking you to 'Deliverance'!"

"Hey I am a city boy."

"Yes but I wouldn't have asked you to come if I didn't think you wouldn't like it. I mean, I haven't been there but mom loves it."

He nodded, "And you do owe me drinks. And one of your moms' home cooked meals."

She smiled, "So I guess it is true, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

* * *

Emma was watching him out of the corner of her eye. It was almost comical in a way, the way Don was gripping the armrests so hard his knuckles were turning white. His jaw was clenched about as tight as one could get it and he was staring straight ahead. He'd been talkative in the airport and even when they took their seats, but the minute the plane started to taxi down the runway, he was quiet as a mouse. On the other hand, Emma had been staring out the window watching as the plane moved down the runway and then started to lift slowly off the ground. She watched as the ground and buildings became smaller and smaller; she was thoroughly enjoying the rollercoaster-esque ride.

They finally reached cruising altitude and Don was very aware of the stewardesses beginning to come around with drinks for everyone. He heard the ding that indicated the seatbelt sign had been taken off. But he didn't move, afraid that if he did the plane might drop right out of the sky. He knew it was a childish thought but he couldn't help it. Finally though, his grip on the armrest lessened and he eventually started to relax a little bit. He let out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding and stole a glance at Emma, who was still glued to the window. He'd insisted on her having the window seat, mostly because she was shorter and didn't need as much leg room. That was his reasoning at least, he also didn't want the temptation of the window calling his name either.

Emma turned, catching him looking at her and she smiled, "You okay?"

"Oh yeah I'm fine." He was putting on an act and she knew it. But she played along and nodded her head, "Good. Wanna look?" She motioned to the window with her hand.

Don shrugged and hesitated for a moment before leaning over her some to look out the window. He honestly couldn't see much except for blue sky and a few wispy, white clouds as they flew through them. He sat back in his seat, "Okay that wasn't so bad."

She laughed, "I bet you'll want the window seat when we come back.."

He was cramped as it was, fitting his tall frame into the aisle seat. He highly doubted he would want the window seat on their flight home. "Yeah right, we'll just see about that."

They both looked up as one of the stewardesses came around, asking what they wanted to drink. Both got sodas and settled in for the two and a half hour flight to Atlanta. Emma's mother, Linda, had been planning on picking them up from the airport but plans had changed a few days ago. Emma had scrambled around and was able to get a rental car and had all the directions for the drive to Savannah and how to find her mom's house. She was going over the directions she'd pulled out of her carry-on bag, glancing over at Don, "So did you tell your family you'd be gone for a week?"

He smiled a little wryly, were they in sixth grade again? "No was I supposed to?"

"I thought you might since if they call your apartment, you're not going to answer."

He shrugged, "They got my cell number. And people know to forward my calls if I get anything at work. Plus, my mom would just tear up and start mumbling something about having grandchildren."

She laughed at that, "What?"

"I don't know! It's a mother thing, I swear. But I talked to her late last week and she kept wanting to know when I was going to settle down and give her grandchildren to spoil." He shook his head, "Women. I'll never understand them."

She swatted at his arm, "Flack!"

He flinched at the way she said his last name, knowing the only time she ever called him that was when he was in for it. It was very reminiscent of his mother scolding him as a kid, only she tended to use the first and middle names. "Hey I'm just saying. You can't live with 'em and you can't live without 'em."

"That might be true but you better remember you're sitting next to a female here."

"No? Really?"

That earned him another swat on the arm and he grumbled, rubbing his arm that was beginning to get sore. "I'm going to have to get you a new hobby, this 'Let's beat up Don!' game is getting old quickly."

She smiled sweetly before looking back down at the sheet of paper in her hand, "Someone's gotta keep you in line."

* * *

One thing about Georgia is that it was much warmer than it was back home. That was Don's first thought as they made their way out of the Atlanta airport after manuevering from their plane to baggage claim and then to the rental car counter. The airport was confusing but they'd managed to find their way around by shoving through a few people here and there, and also by Emma finally asking someone where to go. His stomach growled loudly as they loaded up the rental car, a blue Ford Explorer. Emma swung the keys around her finger, "So..want me to drive?"

He looked at her strangely, "You do know _how_ to, right?"

"Uh..yes? I do have a driver's license, I just got used to taking the subway. So I don't own a car right now but...yes I can drive." She smiled, moving around to the driver's side and getting in.

Don wasn't sure if he was going to regret letting her drive or not but he was hungry and a little tired and ready to get to where they were going. So he got in the passenger side of the SUV and made sure he had his seatbelt on, "Okay. Don't kill us on the interstate, please."

She handed him the directions, "You need to shut up. I can drive, I swear."

He didn't regret letting her drive, although he did swear he saw his life flashing before his eyes a few times as they drove away from the airport and eventually onto the interstate. Traffic in Atlanta was horrible, even though it was no where near what he would consider rush hour. They did manage to find an exit off one of the Atlanta bypasses and went through the drive-thru at a McDonald's before getting back onto the interstate and heading south for Savannah.

Emma couldn't sit still even though she was the one doing the driving. It was sort of weird to be back in the state where she'd been born and sort-of raised after all this time. She was also a little nervous about seeing her mom and her family. The nervousness just wouldn't go away. She reached out, flipping through the radio stations. Don was looking out the window, watching as trees and cars flew by them. One thing about the state was that it was pretty flat...which made for a pretty boring drive once they got far enough away from Atlanta. He reached out suddenly, pushing her hand away from the radio dial, "Okay Emma, quit."

"What?"

"You've been through all the channels about five times in the past minute." He laughed, "Why are you so nervous?"

She shook her head, "I don't know. I mean, I know I shouldn't be. I guess it's just..being back here after all this time. I don't want them to think I'm a loser."

"Why would they think you're a loser? You _are_ living on your own. You have your own place, you've got a good job. And hey, you do have good looking friends if I do say so myself." He had no idea why she was nervous but then again, he probably would be nervous too if he was living far away from his family and didn't see them very often. But he saw his immediate and extended family enough for the yearly holidays, so he had his fill of family usually.

"I don't know," She mumbled as she kept her eyes on the road. She sighed after a moment, reaching up to push her hair back away from her face, "I think I've decided that i do want to see my dad."

Don nodded, "Okay. Do you want me to come with when you do?"

She smiled a little, "Yeah. I think that'd help a lot."

"I'll play bodyguard if I have to," He offered jokingly.

"Please, just flash those baby blue eyes of yours and every woman in a three mile radius will fall over in front of you." She laughed, "As for my dad...well I have no idea what you'd have to do. Do you have your gun?"

He laughed, "Emma I'm not going to need a gun."

"You never know!" She reached over and grabbed the paper out of his hand as they approached the exit she was supposed to get off on, "I'm just asking."

"I checked it. I even made up a story that I was coming down here on official NYPD business. Although I don't think the guy at the counter bought it." He shrugged, "It's in my bag actually."

"See if it was a woman, all you'd have to do is smile all pretty at her." Emma handed him the paper back, "Is this the right exit?"

He looked over the paper and then at the next exit sign, "Yeah, sure is."

* * *

They were about a half hour from their destination and Emma still couldn't stop fidgeting around. It was as if the closer they got to Savannah, the more nervous and anxious she got. No amount of joking or talking from Don was helping. He finally just shook his head and took entertainment in watching everything as they passed. He gave her directions here and there as they made their way into Savannah-proper, "Do we need to call your mom?"

She nodded and reached for her purse in the backseat. She found it and set it beside her, grabbing her cell phone from inside and dialing her mom's number. "Hey mom it's me.." She smiled a little at whatever Linda said, "Yeah we should be there in just a few minutes. Well we did eat but I'm sure we'll be hungry by the time dinner rolls around. Okay I'll tell him." She flipped the phone shut and grinned over at him, "Oh she said to tell you to be ready to eat tonight."

He laughed, "Yes! I remember your mom always cooking a ton of food when we were kids."

"I know, we always had a ton of food." She smiled, "Okay so maybe this won't be as bad as I was thinking."

"And all it took was talking to your mom to convince you of that. No listening to your friend sitting in the passenger seat." He grinned teasingly, "You should really listen to me more often."

Emma rolled her eyes, "You're such a jerk."

She parked the car in her mom's driveway and turned the ignition off, but Emma didn't make a move to get out just yet. Don was practically leaning out the window to get a good look at the house Linda lived in. He'd always been used to neighborhoods with houses and apartments being cramped together, the sidewalks just big enough for two people to walk on. Trees graced sidewalks every few feet and in front of houses sporadically. He was used to the concrete jungle, the most grass he ever saw was going through Central Park. They'd turned into the neighborhood Linda lived in and the houses were so far apart he was sure you could fit a couple inbetween the houses themselves. The area was filled with grass, trees and flowers and he was beginning to feel a bit out of place already. They both got out of the car and the heat hit him, he hadn't realized just how much difference there'd be but it was considerably warmer in Savannah than it was when they left New York that morning. He looked up at the house, it was big enough to where a group of people would be comfortable but he had a feeling it was something that fit Linda perfectly. Flowers seemed to be everywhere, assaulting his senses for a moment. An Toyota was parked in front of the garage, the walkway leading to the front door lined with more flowers. He looked over at Emma and smiled, "Somehow this seems perfect for your mom.."

Emma was taking in everything as well, having not visited her mom's place in the South. She nodded, "It definitely screams her name." She grabbed his arm and pulled him up towards the door with her, "We might as well get this over with.."

* * *

_P.S: Thought I would just mention that I've only flown once in my entire life, so I had some flight anxiety. Just not as bad as Flack ;) And I've been through Atlanta and have learned that traffic is horrible no matter what time of day and no matter if you go through downtown or take one of the bypasses. And if you've never been to Savannah, I would really consider going. It's a very pretty place, lots of great little shops and restaurants to check out (and Paula Deen is there!). _  



	20. Chapter 20

Emma didn't really know what she was so worried about, at least not now that her and Don were in her mom's house and so far..everything seemed fine. Of course it was just the three of them so she hadn't had to put up with other members of the family just yet. The phone hadn't stopped ringing though so it was almost painfully obvious that everyone knew Emma was in town and she'd brought a male companion with her. Linda was thrilled to have her daughter with her though, just because it'd been so long and she wanted to show her everything. Plus, Linda was a bit worried about Emma after everything that had happened with Marissa. She hadn't really had time to mourn, she'd just kept moving and kept busy. She was also more than thrilled that Don had come with her. She liked Don a lot more than any other boy Emma had brought home over the years. Granted, Linda had known Don since he was a gawky teenager and knew that his parents had raised him 'right' and to be the best man he could be.

Linda had given them the grand tour of the house. It wasn't anything spectacularly big, it was three bedrooms and two and a half baths, but it was big enough for Linda. She also had the two extra rooms for Emma and any other guests she might have. The master bedroom was obviously the biggest bedroom and Linda had taken great care in decorating and furnishing it. She'd replaced the bedroom suit she'd had while living in New York for something bigger that would fit better in the room. The other two bedrooms were the same, obvious care had been taken when picking out paint colors and any decorations. Don was in the smaller bedroom near the back of the house. It had a view of the spacious backyard, filled with trees and bushes and more flowers. It was just big enough for him and his stuff. Emma was down the hallway, in a slightly bigger room that was painted a light yellow color. This one had a slightly obscured view of the backyard and also of part of the sideyard. Linda left them both to unpack and went downstairs to answer the phone that was ringing..again.

Emma hadn't realized how tired she was until she finished unpacking her things and sat down on the bed. It was then that all the traveling and worrying caught up to her and she had to cover up a yawn. Falling back on the bed, she stretched out before closing her eyes. The anxiety was still there, although not as bad as it had been earlier in the day. Finally Emma sat up and began digging through her bag for the baby shower present she'd bought. Wrapping presents was never one of her best abilities so she figured she could get her mom to help her with that part. It'd been tempting to buy every baby thing she'd come across when she went out shopping, but she was limiting herself. Plus she knew Jenny was going to be getting a lot of stuff anyway, and was probably going to get a lot of things she wouldn't really need or use. Emma had found a giftset that included a receiving blanket, socks, onesies, a tote bag and a couple of soft toys in the cutest shade of pink. And while she usually wasn't keen on buying pink for girls or blue for boys, she had to admit the pink was cute and had grabbed that up. Don had insisted on giving Emma money, since he was going to be meeting her whole family (and meeting most for the first time), so that money and some of Emma's own money had gone to Linda. Linda was going to buy a rocking chair for Jenny's nursery since she hadn't even thought about one, but Linda had found one in a catalog and ordered it the week prior.

Emma looked up when she saw a shadow loom in the doorway and smiled up at Don, he looked about as tired as she felt. "Hey..unpacked and stuff?" She asked before moving to make room on the bed in case he wanted to sit.

He nodded as he moved inside, looking over her room closer. "Yeah. I felt like I was going to get something dirty or mess something up though.."

She laughed, "I felt the same way! But it's not like my mom is a clean freak."

"Nah that's just you," He said teasingly as he sat down next to her.

"Hey now, I'd watch it if I were you." She put the giftset down on the bed next to her, "I hope this is good enough, I mean..I know it's useful stuff but I have a feeling I'm the cheap one in the family."

"Well I'd try to tell you that you did all right on the gift but...I have no idea what goes on at baby showers.." He shrugged his shoulders, "I'd say it's a good present though. I mean, I remember my mom going to one of my cousins' showers and she came ome griping about how everyone had gotten her all the crap she wouldn't need."

"It is hard not to buy everything that you find cute.." Emma laughed, "I about went baby crazy in the store I went into."

Don resisted the slight urge to roll his eyes, knowing it'd just end up with his arm throbbing after she hit him. He didn't know why women, specifically, tended to go "baby crazy". He supposed men did the same thing when it was maybe their own kids but he hadn't thought that far ahead. Sure he liked kids and all, he had enough younger cousins in his family and he enjoyed doing Christmas and birthday present shopping for the kids but..still. He just smiled, "I'll just act like I know what you're talking about Em."

She nodded and patted him on the shoulder as she stood, putting the giftset into the closet for the time being. She'd bug her mom to wrap it later. "Yeah just pretend. It's not like you have to go to the shower and play all the really cheesy baby games or anything."

"Thank God," He mumbled as he laid back on the bed.

Emma laughed, "What are you going to do when you have kids? Just wait until the kid is thirteen before you have anything to do with them?"

"No!" He lifted his head to look at her, "It's not that I don't like kids, or babies for that matter. There are kids in my family, you know. And at one time, they were even babies. And okay, I'll admit to going to one baby shower."

She looked over at him, "When!"

"One of my cousins, Alissa was pregnant with her first kid. Mom dragged me over to her shower and my _god_ I have never seen so many pink and blue decorations in my life. And what the fuck is with the 'Make a Potato Baby' game?"

Emma let out a snort before she started to laugh. The thought of Don Flack surrounded by mostly women and baby decorations, having to make a 'baby' out of a potato was almost too much to handle. "Do your cop buddies know you had to play that game?" She walked over to the bed and laid down next to him, looking up at the ceiling, "Does Danny know you played that!"

"No!" Don was scowling as he turned his head to see her better, "And if you mention it to anyone, I'm gonna have your head."

She was still laughing, "Aw but it's cute! Did you win the game at least?"

He was starting to turn a slight shade of red before he nodded, "Maybe."

That caused Emma to start laughing all over again, reaching up to cover her face, "oh my god! Maybe you do need to come with me to this thing!"

"No way!" He was laughing by then, reaching over to poke her in the side, causing Emma to squeal and squirm away from him. "I'll go find something to do while you go to the baby shower, thank you very much."

She swatted at his hand, "Okay, okay! You don't have to come with me. Although I might be able to use your potato baby makin' skills."

"You're not ready for my potato baby making skills." He grinned as he sat up some, leaning back on his hands, "And we're back in Georgia for all of six hours and you've already got the full accent back, what the hell is up with that?"

Emma put her hands behind her head as she watched him, "Just wait. You'll get made fun of for your awesome New York accent."

Both looked over to the doorway when Linda came in. She smiled at the two of them, "Emma I hope you won't hate me but...looks like we're having a barbeque tonight."

"Uh oh, that means everyone and their mother is coming over right?" Emma asked as she sat up.

Linda smiled, "Pretty much. I know Jenny and Dave are coming."

"Okay...who else? You wouldn't be looking at me like that if it was just them two coming." Emma felt the anxiousness come back even as Don was laughing beside her.

Her mom leaned against the doorframe, "Your Aunt Carole and Uncle Michael with their kids. Bob, Laurie and Lisa said they may stop by. And I think Philip, Anna, Leigh-Anne and Ben might come by. I'm not sure of anyone else. You don't care, do you?"

Emma hesitated before shaking her head, "I guess not, I mean I'd have to face most of them anyway. Do you care Don?"

"Uh no?" He laughed, shaking his own head, "Doesn't matter to me, it's your family Em."

* * *

She was watching as people walked out of the house and into the backyard, vaguely recognizing her aunt and uncle as they arrived with their three kids. She recognized a few other people that had arrived but there were a few Emma knew weren't any part of her family. They were most likely neighbors and some of her mother's friends, but of course Linda failed to tell her those people were coming. She knew it was ridiculous to be _this_ nervous. She sighed and looked down at the outfit she'd changed into, sitting on an airplane for two hours and driving for three meant she felt dirty and gross so a shower had been in order. She'd changed into jeans and a tank top, knowing it was still fairly warm outside even though the sun was just beginning to dip down below the horizon. She'd thrown her hair haphazardly up in a ponytail and really, she was trying not to care what she looked like. No one else would care, right? Right. She nodded even though she was the only one in the room, trying to convince herself. Finally, Emma pushed herself away from the window and left her bedroom, going to find Don. 

She knocked on his door and pushed it open after a second, poking her head inside. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, his cell phone pressed to his ear. He looked up when the door opened and motioned for her to come inside. She let the door close behind her and walked over to the bed, sitting down next to him. He'd showered and changed to, also dressed in a pair of jeans but he was wearing a button-up shirt. Emma hated to admit that she'd gotten a little used to seeing him in a suit and tie but seeing him in something casual was pretty nice too. Don finished up his conversation and tossed the phone onto the bed beside them, "So we need to make an appearance?"

She smiled, shrugging her shoulders, "I guess so. A lot of people have shown up already. Who were you talkin' to?"

"Danny. He went over to check up on my apartment after his shift. He also wanted to know if your mom had made me try sweet tea yet.." He'd stood up and walked over to the window, glancing out into the backyard. He then looked back at her, "What the hell is sweet tea?"

"Something I haven't had in _years_," She said with a laugh. "It's exactly what it sounds like, it's tea with about a ton of sugar in it. I don't particularly like it, to be honest. I'm sure someone will fix some, you'll have to try it. And then beat up Danny for telling you about it."

He laughed and then motioned for her to follow him, "C'mon, we better get out there before they think we're...doing something we shouldn't be."

Emma groaned but she stood from the bed and followed him out of the room, walking towards the stairs. "Yeah right, my mom thinks I'm still a virgin."

He raised an eyebrow, looking back at her, "Was that too TMI for us?"

"No?" She laughed, pushing him forward so she didn't run into the back of him, "I'm not having a sex conversation with you right now but believe me, we've talked about worse."

Don just shrugged his shoulders and kept walking, going down the stairs. "So what should we do if someone does think we're together?"

"Jump all over each other and start making out heavily?" She grinned, pulling on his arm, leading him through the house towards the back door.

He laughed, letting her tug on him, "I should've known I was going to score on this vacation."

"Really, don't make me hit you."

"Oh I'm kidding."

She laughed, "Me too, you nerd."

"Ouch, the insults! I'm telling your mom."

Emma stopped as they reached the back door, turning towards him, "Okay. So if members of my family totally embarrass either one of us, you have my permission to run. Run as far away as you can."

Don frowned some, "What are you talking about Em?"

"I'm just serious, okay? I mean, you know how families can be."

He reached out, putting one hand on each of her shoulders. He had to stoop down a little so the two of them were eye to eye and then he smiled, "You have nothing to worry about. And it things get to be too much, let me know and we'll go find our own thing to do. Okay?"

She finally smiled a little bit after a moment and nodded her head, "Thanks for coming with me. I mean, if I haven't told you that before."

He shook his head and reached around her to open the door, "You don't have to thank me. Remember, I had the vacation time to waste."

Emma laughed and turned, walking out into the backyard with Don in tow. They were both thinking the same thing, it was now or never.

* * *

_demolished-soul: haha I was the same way on my first flight (4 hr. flight to Vegas). I also rambled nervously to my friend the entire time, I'm sure they were hoping I'd fall asleep and shut up already. Don should get some familiy interaction in Ch. 21 (which I have partly written in a notebook, just gotta type it up!)._

_truebluepatfan12: thank you for reading! I'm having fun writing and seeing where everything goes myself._

_theheathen42: thank you! It was definitely an aggravating "injury" and I'm still not sure how I did it (with me, there's no telling how I did it). Oh I had such anxiety when I flew for the first time! Of course I got over it when I got to look out the window the first time ;)_

_meadow567: I had the same problems on my flight! The ear popping thing was irritating. I was the window seat person on my flight home, which was pretty neat and I wasn't stuck leaning over my friend the entire time. It kinda sucked though because I'm fairly tall so about 2 1/2 hours into the flight I was cramped lol thanks for reading! _

_The Little Corinthian: I'm kind of basing some of her family off of some of my family experiences (in fact some of the names are some of my own family's names lol). Flack might be in for a bit of a shock..;) which ch.21 should be up here in a bit, just have to type it all up!_


	21. Chapter 21

Don hadn't been sure on what to expect when he stepped out into the backyard. Sure, he had his own family idiosyncrasies and he'd been to more than his fair share of family get togethers over the years. He was sure he knew how to handle the Lewis family though, after all he spent his days with the scum of New York. Surely this wouldn't be as bad as Emma was fearing.

She was nearly shaking her flip flops as the two of them walked outside. Linda was standing in front of the grill with her uncle Michael. He was a tall, thin man with dark hair. The two of them looked to be in a heated discussion about something as Emma and Don made their way over to them. Michael was the first to notice Emma and a wide smile spread across his face, "Well if it isn't my little Emma!"

He reached out, engulfing Emma in a big bear hug before she could say a word. "It is so good to see you," He was saying as he pulled back to get a better look at her. "I'm going to have to find Carole and get her over here, she won't believe how you look!"

"I hope that's a good thing," Emma laughed. "You look exactly the same though!"

"Ah I see you've got one of those Yankee accents, we're gonna have to get that out of here." It was then Michael noticed Don, eyeing him for a moment before jutting a hand out towards him, "I'm Michael, Emma's uncle."

Of course Don was going to act like the perfect gentleman or else his mother would have his hide. He reached out to shake Michael's hand, "Don Flack, it's nice to meet you."

Michael looked at Emma with a grin on his face, "About time you got a boyfriend, your mom was saying it'd been what? Years since you had a boyfriend."

"Well I don't know about that," Linda said as she motioned for Michael to take over the grill. "Don's one of Emma's friends though, they met when we moved up north."

That seemed to placate her uncle for the moment and Emma shot her mother a thankful look. Linda knew how to save Emma from a potentially embarrassing situation. Emma looked up at Don and he grinned, leaning down towards her. He lowered his voice so only she would hear, "I have a feeling you're gonna get the boyfriend question more than once."

Emma laughed, "Just keep flashing those baby blues at everyone, they'll forget about me in a heartbeat."

An obviously pregnant woman walked over to the two of them and Don deducted that it had to be Emma's cousin Jenny. She looked to be about the same age as Emma, though she was taller and had blonde hair. Her and Emma hugged and Emma spent the next five minutes nearly squealing over her baby bump. Finally she remembered Don and turned towards him, "oh god I'm horrible at this introduction thing." She shook her head, "Jenny this is Don, he's one of my friends from New York. Don this is my cousin Jenny."

Both shook hands and Jenny seemed smitten from the get-go with Don. It was true, all he had to do was smile and it seemed like any female (or male, for that matter) fell for anything he said. Emma turned around to talk to her mom and when she turned back around, Don was nowhere to be found.

She frowned and looked around the yard, finding her friend in the middle of a gaggle of women. She bit her lip to hide a grin, grabbing Linda's arm. "Mom look at that," She said pointing to the middle of the backyard.

Her aunt, Carole, and her teenaged daughter, Holly were in the group with Don. Two of her other cousins, Laurie and Lisa, were also with the group surrounding him, along with Jenny. Linda laughed, "Uh oh, we've lost him to the women.."

"Think we'll ever get him back?"

"With Lisa in there? Probably not. She'll be talking his head off for the next hour, at least." Linda patted her shoulder, "I've got to head into the kitchen to get more chips. Watch Michael, make sure he doesn't burn the burgers."

Emma watched Don for a moment. He was definitely flirting with the whole group of women and they were eating it up like ice cream on a hot summer day. She laughed to herself before turning to her uncle. He flipped one of the burgers, glancing at her, "So how you doin' kiddo? New York treating you okay?"

She smiled, nodding her head, "Oh yeah. I love it there."

"And that guy, that friend of yours, he all right?"

Another smile from her as she reached into the cooler, grabbing a soda from inside of it. "Don's a good guy, trust me. He's a cop." Cop was an easier term to explain than detective, then everyone would want to know every gory detail of every case he'd ever worked.

Michael raised an eyebrow, "A cop, huh?"

"Yeah." She nodded, glancing at the group again, "He's a good person, I swear."

Michael looked a little skeptical. "If you say so. You sure you two aren't together?"

Emma laughed, nodding her head, "Yes I'm sure we're not together." Somehow she knew if her and Don were together, she'd be the first one to _know_.

* * *

She found herself cornered in the kitchen by Laurie and Lisa about a half an hour later. All Emma had done was gone inside to grab some more drinks and when she turned around, the two girls were standing in front of her grinning like cheshire cats. Emma inwardly groaned and set the drinks down on the counter, she was going to need a beer after this. Laurie and Lisa were both stereotypical sorority girls and were both a few years younger than Emma. Laurie was brunette and about the same height as Emma. She was bubbly and loud and had always been outgoing, even as a child. Lisa was a bit more on the quiet side, a tall and skinny blonde who could seem a little standoff-ish at times but was really a sweetheart. 

Laurie had a glint in her eye and smiled, "You have got to tell me where you met him because he is seriously _hot_."

Emma laughed, "We met at school way back in the day. I mean, I'm talking junior high."

It was Lisa's turn to talk as she shared a look with Laurie. "And you're _not_ dating him?"

"Nope." Emma shook her head.

"Why the hell not?" Laurie exclaimed.

Emma wanted to bang her head into the wall. She'd gotten accosted by her Aunt Carole and asked the same thing. Another cousin, Anna, had asked how long her and Don had been together. Of course when she found out they weren't dating, Anna had made a beeline for Don even though she was married to Philip. Emma sighed, looking at her two cousins, "Because we're friends, that's why."

Lisa shrugged her shoulders, "I think you're crazy."

"Well that's your opinion on it.." Emma went to the fridge and grabbed a beer out of it, twisting off the cap before taking a long drink. It was going to be an even longer evening and she had a feeling she'd need all the alcohol she could get if she was going to have put up with all this crap.

The two girls left Emma alone not long after that, saying something about going to fix their hair. Emma leaned her hip against the counter, nursing the beer still as she looked out the window. Don was out in the backyard, only he wasn't surrounded by adoring female adults any longer. This time he was surrounded by four smaller children. Ben and Leigh-Anne were four year old fraternal twins belonging to Philip and Anna. Jordana and Kelsey, seven and five respectively, belonged to Carole and Michael. Emma smiled at the sight, watching as Don had to kneel down in front of the kids to be at a better eye level with them. Of course they were smitten with the older man, everyone seemed to be. That made Emma feel a lot better about it all, she wanted everything to go smoothly and she wanted everyone to like her friend. Of course, Philip and Michael had teased Don about his accent a little but it was all in good fun.

Emma finished off the beer and tossed the bottle away before grabbing the drinks she'd gone inside for the in the first place, and headed back outside. She deposited the drinks with her mother before walking out into the yard to join Don and the kids. He smiled when he saw her, "Well about time I got to see you.."

"Hey you've been busy!" Emma laughed, looking down as Ben latched himself to her leg, "hey you, you having fun?" Ben was blonde haired and blue eyed. Emma hadn't seen him since he was a baby but had heard he was always a loving a little boy, and always wanted someone to play with him. He nodded his head but didn't say anything as he eyed her.

Leigh-Anne was fascinated with Don, leaning against him as she watched Jordana and Kelsey playing in front of them. Don stood up, brushing his jeans off, "So everything okay?"

Emma nodded, "Yeah I think so. You have made a huge splash with my family."

He grinned, "I told you it'd be fine."

"Yeah yeah, what else do I owe you now?"

"A drink?"

She shrugged and untangled herself from Ben, "You kids go play, we'll be back in a little bit."

The two of them made their way into the house, each grabbing a beer along the way. "Your family seems great Em, I don't know why you were so worried."

"Me neither, to be honest," She said with a shrug. "I swear I thought you were going to get kidnapped by Aunt Carole and Anna."

He laughed, leaning against the arm of the couch once they moved into the living room. "Whatever."

"I'm serious! They were definitely flirting with you."

He shook his head, "Nope. I don't know what you're talking about."

"Uh huh." She slid down onto the couch, stretching her legs out in front of her, "I know my mom was worried about my cousin Charlie showing up."

"How come?"

Emma laid her head back on the cushions, "Well every family's gotta have the one member that's a tad bit...out there. And it'd be him."

He moved to sit down next to her, stretching his own legs out. "What'd you mean?"

"Let's just say, he's always blamed my mom for the divorce. He was a big fan of my dad's. But he's had some problems with drugs and alcohol in the past."

"Who are his parents?"

"Oh! That might help.." Emma laughed some, "Sorry. He's the oldest of my Aunt Kathy. She's not here either though, her and mom don't exactly get along. But we weren't sure if either would show up to this thing or not."

"Well, hopefully neither shows up to cause any trouble. It'd suck to ruin your trip and ruin Jenny's baby shower.."

She nodded, "Yeah I know. I've never understood why my mom and Kathy never got along. Mom's called me nearly in tears before, after trying to talk to her. Kathy tried to say mom was stealing grandma's money when she was sick."

Both of them had slid further down into the cushions, only the tops of their heads visible over the top of the couch. Don nodded as he listened, aware that Emma had some aunts and other family members that they didn't talk to often. He just didn't know the extent. She took another drink of her beer before talking again, "Which none of that was true, why would mom do _that_? I got a pretty nasty phone call with grandma died, Kathy was pissed that I wasn't flying back for the funeral. I don't even remember why I didn't fly back but I remember that phone call." She sighed softly moving to lay against him some. Don shifted some but was still quiet as he listened to her. "She called me a bunch of names, said my mom had been stealing money and everyone knew it. So needless to say, the people that are here tonight are the ones that _know_ mom and didn't believe any of the crap Kathy was saying. There's other family members that have been brainwashed pretty much and think mom and I are the worst people ever to be born on earth."

Don shook his head, now leaning against Emma as much as she was leaning against him. "That's ridiculous. Families tend to get weird when one member is sick or hurt though. People say things knowing they'll hurt the other party and it sucks. And it's sad. But...I think people will get theirs eventually. You have wonderful people around you, Emma. Don't let her or your cousin get you down."

She smiled, lifting her head up to look at him better, "I know..and thank you."

He smiled as well, "You keep thanking me.."

"So? Gonna do something about it?"

He leaned in more towards her, licking his lips unconsciously as she did the same, "I might have to, you know."

"Do what?" She asked in a whisper, blinking a couple of times. Someone needed to inform him not to do _that_ because it was highly attractive.

Don smirked some, barely brushing his lips over hers before he pulled back, shrugging his shoulders as he took a drink of his beer. "Do something about you thanking me all the damn time."

Emma blinked a couple of more times, sitting back once he pulled away. Did he just do what she thought he did? It was so quick and..soft, she wasn't sure if it really had happened. She nodded dumbly before she found her voice, "Oh..oh yeah. Well..I'll try to stop then." She took a long drink of her own beer, she was beginning to think she just imagined the kiss. Surely it was her imagination playing tricks on her, it was that and the alcohol.


	22. Chapter 22

_AN: Sorry for the extreme lateness of this chapter. My muse decided to take a small vacation, it seemed. But it finally came out of my head the way I wanted it to and I hope you all like it! And excuse the exteme fluff that is about to occur. Ahem. _

* * *

The day of the baby shower dawned early and bright. Emma had no idea how much she ended up drinking after the semi-kiss between her and Don. What she _did_ know was that her head was pounding. And it didn't help that Linda burst into her room and was rushing around to get Emma out of bed and ready for fear the two of them would be late to Jenny's baby shower. Emma was finally left alone after she'd actually gotten up and out of bed. She covered a yawn and dug through the closet for something to wear. She was hoping to avoid Don for the time being, wanting to get the baby shower over and then maybe the two of them would talk. 

After the semi-kiss the two of them had gone out into the backyard, Don getting swept up with the men to talk baseball and whatever else it was guys talked about. Emma had found herself drinking and gossiping with Laurie and Lisa. Don and Emma didn't really talk for the rest of the night and she didn't see him go inside and upstairs later when he went to bed.

Emma shook her head, trying to rid herself of some of the cobwebs that seemed to be clogging her mind. Her head was still pounding although not as bad now that she was up and moving somewhat. She grabbed her clothes and opened the door, darting down the hallway to the bathroom to take a quick shower. If she didn't hurry, her mother would most likely freak out.

He was in his own room, listening as Linda moved around the house. Light was filtering in through the curtains and it seemed like it was bright enough that he should maybe think about getting up but he was comfortable. Don reached up, rubbing at his face with one of his hands. He was still tired and thinking about going back to sleep for a little while. He was pretty much going to be on his own for the afternoon while Linda and Emma went off to the baby shower so he could do whatever he wanted. He rolled onto his back to stare up at the ceiling. Of course he remembered everything from the night before while she'd been a little out of it. He had no idea what he'd been thinking, other than he really wanted to kiss her. But would that make everything really strange now? He had no idea and obviously he was no psychic, but now he was beginning to wonder if it'd been a mistake to do that at _that _particular moment.

Linda was freaking out, rushing around to get everything ready so her and Emma could leave for Jenny's. She had yet to see Don make an appearance but figured he was still sleeping. Emma came down the stairs, holding a hair elastic in her mouth and a pair of heels in her hand. Linda sighed with her hands on her hips, "We're going to be late."

"Mom I know, I'm sorry. I just had-"

"One too many drinks?" Linda offered, "Or was there something else?"

Emma groaned as she slipped her feet into her shoes, looking down at her outfit. She was wearing a simple skirt and top but felt like she looked like she'd literally just rolled out of bed. That might have been true but she didn't have to look like it, right? She pulled her hair back, "Yes I had one too many drinks, thank you for noticing."

Linda smiled, shaking her head as she went into the kitchen. "I'm going to grab the cake for the party, go ahead and get in the car. We don't need to be later than we already are."

One thing about her mother was that she was always on time for everything so them being even five minutes late was like the end of the world. Emma slipped on the other shoe, reaching down to fix the strap as she moved towards the door. She grabbed her mother's keys from next to her purse and headed outside into the bright sunshine. Linda followed a moment later, shutting the front door behind her.

* * *

Don laid in bed for almost another hour before he finally decided to get up. The house had been quiet for awhile so he figured Emma and Linda had left already. He yawned as he made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen, hoping to find some coffee. While he wasn't hungover he was still feeling like he was in a fog and knew that some sort of caffeine was the only way to make that go away. 

Luckily one of the women must have been thinking of him because they left the coffee pot on, complete with a mug sitting next to it. He smiled and filled it up, taking a drink as he leaned back against the counter. It was a little strange to be somewhere that was so completely quiet when he was used to the hustle and bustle of the city but it was nice at the same time. He finished the coffee and was already beginning to feel better so he figured a shower was in order before the day was completely wasted.

* * *

Emma groaned loudly and fought the urge to stomp her foot like a child. She turned in the car, leaning into the backseat as far as she could without falling completely over. She was sure she'd grabbed her baby shower gift, she remembered pulling it out of the closet after she'd gotten out of the closet. But after that she couldn't remember. Surely she'd grabbed it though. Sighing she sat back in the front seat, pinching the bridge of her nose. A knock on the car window startled her and she opened her eyes, finding herself face to face with her Aunt Kathy. The woman was stone faced and her eyes were cold and for a moment Emma couldn't move or even think. But finally she broke the gaze with her aunt and moved to open the door, pasting a smile on her face. "It's so good to see you Kathy," She said, trying to be hospitable at least. 

Kathy just stared at her but her face was unmoving and her gaze was still cold. She nodded curtly, before motioning towards the house, "Your mother was looking for you."

Emma nodded and stepped past her, "Oh thanks. I was just about to go in to see her." And with that, Emma hurried up towards the house. She didn't want to spend anymore time than she had to around that woman.

She ducked into the house, hearing the women in the main part of the living room. It seemed like the whole house was decorated in pink balloons and streamers and everything baby. It might have been over the top but Emma had to admit that it was cute. Jenny was glowing and of course was enjoying all the festivities that going on in her honor. Presents were piled on top of a table in the living room, which is what had tipped Emma off that she'd forgotten hers. She found her purse behind the couch and grabbed her cell phone from it before looking around for a quiet place she could hide out in for a few minutes. She found the bathroom empty and barricaded herself inside, flipping the lock before she dialed a number, holding the phone against her ear. She only hoped that the person on the other end would answer.

He was in the middle of reading through the local paper when his cell started ringing on the table beside him. He picked it up to answer it, "Aren't you supposed to be playing 'make a potato baby'?"

"This is no time for jokes. I need you to do something for me." She hated that she immediately felt like she was blushing just hearing his voice. A glance in the bathroom mirror confirmed her suspicions and she wanted to hang up the phone. It wasn't even like they'd had a heavy makeout session! They hadn't even gotten to first base!

Sitting back on the couch, Don couldn't figure out what she'd need from him at that very second. "Okay, okay what do you need? I guess I can help you out, I mean..I am bored."

"Don just shut up for two seconds!"

He laughed, it was fun to hear her get all riled up. "All right I'll stop. What do you need?"

"I need you to go to my room and find the present I got for the baby shower and possibly bring it to me?" Emma sighed, "I completely forgot about it this morning because my mom was all rushing me around."

"Why was she rushing you around?" He was already on his way up the stairs towards her room.

"Because I woke up late. I had one hell of a hangover headache and it's starting to come back." Emma rubbed her forehead, closing her eyes as she leaned against the wall. "I feel like an idiot. I can't believe I forgot the damn present."

"Oh it's not that big of a deal, Emma. What are you doing anyway?"

"Hiding in the bathroom?"

He laughed again, "Emma why are you in the bathroom?"

She growled and felt the need to kick something, preferably him if he were in the same vicinity as her. "Don't make fun of me damnit."

"I'm not, I promise." Don entered her room, looking around for the present. He spotted the wrapped gift on top of the bed and grabbed it, "Okay so I have the present, now what?"

"Wanna run it over to me real quick? Please? I'll be your best friend forever? I'll even name my first born child after you?"

He snorted, "You want to name your child Don Flack the third?" He was already on his way back down the stairs, finding the keys to their rented Explorer in her room as well. "Okay so you're going to have to give me direction."

Emma smiled, "Oh thank you so much.."

"Yeah well, I'm holding you to that naming of the kid thing.."

"We'll just see about that, Flack."

* * *

All the women in Jenny's house, including Jenny herself, had pressed themselves against every window and other piece of glass that could be looked out of as the blue Explorer pulled up into the driveway. Laurie nudged one of the other women beside her, "You just wait until you see this guy. He is _hot._" 

They were all whispering to each other and themselves, watching as Emma stood in the driveway. Word had spread quickly around the group of gossipy Southerners that she'd forgotten her present and her "male friend" was going to drop it off. Linda had tried to distract the women from being so nosey but it was no use. Jenny had even giggled, "This is much better than any game we could play right now.."

Emma was well aware of the stares and whispers, even though she couldn't hear them. She wanted to warn him but she didn't have time after giving him directions to Jenny's house and all the women finding out what was going to happen. She turned around and could see every pair of eyes staring at her and glared at them, motioning for them to go away. But Laurie was the only one that responded by sticking her tongue out at Emma. Emma flipped her off specifically before turning, watching as the SUV rolled up in the driveway.

Don turned off the ignition and opened the door, stepping out of the vehicle with the present in hand. He didn't hear the gasp or squeals of the women inside the house. The woman next to Laurie nudged her back and nodded her head before whispering loudly, "you were definitely right on that one."

Kathy was on the other end of the group and snorted quietly, "Surely that is _not_ her boyfriend."

Linda narrowed her eyes at her, even if the woman was her sister. "And why not?"

Jenny shushed the two older women before an argument could break out. Watching her driveway was like watching an unfolding soap opera, it was too good not to watch.

Emma smiled at him as he walked up towards her, "Thank you so much Don."

He shook his head, handing her the present. "Not a big deal. You know I wasn't doing anything anyway." It was then his detective sense took over and he seemed to notice he was being watched very carefully. He looked up at the house and found about 12 pairs of eyes staring back at him. He motioned towards the house, "Uh what are they doing?"

"They caught wind of a guy coming to bring me the present. They all wanted to see what you looked like because apparently, we're dating." Emma shrugged, holding the box in front of her.

"Huh?" He raised an eyebrow, "What'd you mean?"

"Well no matter what my mother or I said, they think you're my boyfriend." She was blushing again, she could feel her face starting to heat up. She had no idea when being around Don started to make her feel like she was in junior high all over again but this was getting to be a little ridiculous.

He grinned, "Hey there's nothing wrong with that.."

"We're friends!" She exclaimed, shaking her head.

"So, we can play along for a little bit. Is your bitch aunt here?"

Emma laughed at that, she'd nearly forgotten that he'd been subjected to her rambling about her aunt. "Yes she is."

The grin never left Don's face as he moved, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. He bent down so his mouth was about level with her ear, lowering his voice as he pulled her towards the door, "Well we'll just have to put on a show for her, now won't we?"

While it seemed like the most preposterous ideas ever and she was ready to tell him no and push him back towards the car, Emma had to admit that it might fun to play Don Flack's girlfriend. So she smiled and nodded her head, looking up at him, "If you say so. I'll just follow your lead."

The two of them were well aware of the stares of the group inside the house. Don didn't know what he was getting himself into, after all he'd only been subjected to one baby shower in his entire life. But if it helped Emma have a better time and feel more comfortable around certain members of her family, then it was worth it.

* * *

He became the life of the party, instantly welcomed by every woman that was in the house. Jenny had told him he had to stay for the rest of the shower and of course, playing Emma's boyfriend, he agreed. They'd been playing the part of the dating couple for almost two hours now and had managed to fool everyone except Linda, but that was only because Don had clued her in once he'd managed to get away from people for more than a second. 

Emma had to admit she got a sick satisfaction watching the jealous looks Laurie and Lisa were both giving her. They'd wanted to know why Don and Emma hadn't come out with it the night before and she'd been stuck for a moment, maybe their whole cover would be blown? But Don had come up with some elaborate story about how he wanted her family to accept him first. Emma thought it sounded like a load of bull but everyone seemed to buy it, even her Aunt Kathy.

They were seated on the small couch, watching as Jenny opened her presents. It was nearing the end of the day and Emma was about ready to go by that point. But everyone was ooh'ing and ahh'ing over every gift. Hers had gone over well and for that she'd been happy, Emma had been afraid that it'd seem totally useless somehow. But other than her own gift Emma had been completely distracted thanks to Don's arm around her shoulders. She had to wonder if this was how he really was as a boyfriend. Was he always so touchy-feely? All afternoon he'd stuck near her, touching her arm or hand or back in some way. It had been comforting and for a few minutes here and there she'd let herself get lost, feeling as if she really _was_ his girlfriend. But then she would start to feel bad, after all the two of them were just friends. Nothing sexual or flirting going on with them in the least!

His fingers were playing with the hair on the nape of her neck. It was an unconscious move but he was aware of how every so often it would cause goosebumps to rise on her skin. Then Emma would squirm around and shoot him a look, causing Don to stop for a few minutes. He'd been enjoying playing the role of Emma's boyfriend. The plan had worked, getting everyone to think he was her boyfriend. Even her Aunt Kathy had lightened up a little bit and he'd even talked to her while everyone was eating. Emma had been right, the woman just wasn't nice and seemed to think Emma was hording a lot of money somewhere. Needless to say, that conversation hadn't lasted long. Don had also been enjoying the baby shower, it was interesting to see it in a completely different family setting than his own. He'd be lying to himself if he admitted that he hadn't also enjoyed getting to act boyfriend-like with Emma. It'd felt nice to hold her hand or have his hand placed on her lower back. They were just simple gestures that hadn't gone un-noticed by anyone else in the house.

They kept the act up until they were leaving that evening in the Explorer. Linda was helping to clean up the house and insisted the two of them go on. Emma's feet were throbbing thanks to the heels so as soon as they were driving down the road, she was pulling the shoes off. She also reached up, letting her hair down. "I am worn out. Who knew baby showers were so damn exhausting?" She sat back in the seat, glancing over at him, "And...thanks."

He smiled as he kept his eyes on the road. "You keep thanking me, Em."

"Well! I need to. No other guy would voluntarily play boyfriend with their friend. And let's face it, no other guy would voluntarily stay at a baby shower where every woman was staring at him like he was a piece of meat." She laughed, turning her head to look out the window.

"I didn't really notice them," He said quietly. He wouldn't admit it out loud then but the only thing he had noticed that day had been her. Damnit for the just being friends bit.

Emma's eyes slipped closed, the night before was catching up with her and she really was tired. "Still..I appreciate you coming over," She mumbled, nearly half asleep.

He pulled up to a red stoplight and looked over at her. He smiled, watching as she napped in the seat next to him. The two of them were quite a pair. And at that moment, sitting at a light in the middle of Georgia it was then that Don Flack Jr. realized he'd been in love with Emma Lewis since the day he met her.


	23. Chapter 23

She was a bundle of nerves as she sat out front of her father's house in the rental car. She couldn't stop wringing her hands together and she felt like she was going to pass out a few times. A couple of days had passed since the baby shower where Emma and Don had played boyfriend/girlfriend. Her family members had been continuously calling Linda to get the scoop, finally Linda had unplugged the phone. The two of them were scheduled to fly home the next afternoon and while Emma was anxious to get back to New York, she felt a little sad at leaving Georgia.

She'd finally decided to see her father, after all she'd been around 11 when she'd last seen him. She'd called him and left him a message on his answering machine and he'd called back the night before. It was like talking to a complete stranger. Emma didn't think he sounded the same and it almost was if he didn't know who she was. But he invited her over to see his house and while she wanted to do it and maybe reconnect with him, she was still nervous to the point of wanting to throw up.

Don was in the seat next to her, in the driver's seat. She'd insisted on driving originally but her hands were shaking too bad and at the first stop sign they encountered, Don made her switch with him. She had told him he didn't have to come along but he figured she needed all the moral support she could get. So now they were just sitting, and he was just waiting until the time when Emma would finally get up enough guts to get out of the car and walk up to the house.

He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, looking over at her. She was chewing on her lip so hard and so much he was surprised she hadn't bitten a hole right through it. "Em? You don't have to do this, you know."

Emma seemed startled by the sudden noise in the car, looking over at him alarmed. "What? Oh I know." She sighed and rubbed at her face with her hands. "I know I don't have to but I feel like I need to. And I want to." She shrugged her shoulders and reached for the handle to get out of the car before pulling back, "I just _can't._"

Don turned towards her the best that he could, given their confined spaces. "Look, I know you can do this and I know that you want to. It's just a matter of taking that first step. You can do this. I'll be right there with you, I promise."

She smiled, looking a little relieved and a little more relaxed than she had in the previous moments. "And you won't leave?"

He shook his head, "No. Not unless you tell me too."

Emma nodded and looked at the door handle. She hesitated for a minute before finally opening the door and stepping outside. Don sighed softly and did the same, he'd been wondering if they'd ever get out of the car. Emma walked slowly up the gravel driveway, taking in the small house her father had given her directions too. It seemed cramped and run down but the landscaping was pretty nice, at least it looked like someone had been taking care of the yard somewhat. She went back to chewing on her lip once she reached the front porch and stared at the doorbell, hoping that if she stared long and hard enough that it'd just ring itself. She jumped a little when she felt a hand in the center of her back and looked up at her friend. He just nodded his head and Emma finally reached out and rang the doorbell.

So many emotions were going through her. Her sixth grade-self was doing flip flops and tumbling around nervously inside of her. Her sixth grade-self was excited, happy to see her dad. She'd always been a bit of a daddy's girl growing up. But the more logical, grown up side of Emma was brooding and teetering on the point of anger. Her father hadn't shown up, called or even sent a card when Emma had graduated high school. She wasn't even sure he knew she'd graduated from _college_. She was excited, nervous, angry, sad and happy all at once but she had to do this.

Don stood beside her, watching her face closely as she went through every emotion there was. Everything was written clearly on her face and his heart went out to her, knowing how much she wanted to do it but how scared she was. He was nervous for her, wanting everything to go smoothly with the visit.

The door opened what seemed like an hour later, when in reality it'd been just a few seconds. Emma was expecting to be faced with a man a little taller than her but instead she was faced with a little boy, who barely reached her waist. She blinked a couple of times, watching as the little boy looked between Emma and Don. She was confused, did they have the wrong house? But her questions were answered when the little boy turned and yelled, "Daddy!" back into the house.

Don's eyes widened and he looked over at Emma, her father hadn't mentioned he had other kids. She turned towards him, whispering, "daddy?"

He shrugged his shoulders, looking back at the door as a slightly robust, taller man approached the door. Don recognized him immediately as Emma's father, they had the same nose and eyes. The man smiled, but it looked pained and it looked forced. "I'm so glad you could come over," He said to Emma before looking at Don in question.

The urge to throw her arms around her father and cry like a little girl hit Emma like a ton of bricks. But she managed to refrain and then realized she hadn't mentioned she was bringing a companion along. But then again, her dad hadn't mentioned he had other kids or had remarried. "Oh sorry," Emma shook her head with a nervous smile and moved to introduce the two men. "This is my dad, John Lewis. Dad this is Don Flack, he's my uh.."

"Boyfriend," Don interjected when she stumbled. She shot him a look but didn't say anything, she just nodded her head.

John reached out a hand to Don, "It's nice to meet you. I didn't know Emma was bringing along a male friend."

Both of them exchanged a look as John turned to go back into the house, motioning for them to follow. "Male friend?" He whispered low enough so only she could hear.

Emma fought the urge to laugh, "Hey you suggested boyfriend!"

He shook his head with a grin as the two of them walked into and through the house. If it looked small and cramped on the outside, it was even worse on the inside. It seemed every inch of the house was crammed with _stuff._ They were led into what had to be the living room area. Toys littered the floor and the same little boy that had answered the door was on the floor, sitting in front of the tv that was playing some cartoon. John looked a little uncomfortable before pointing towards the little boy, "That's Adam, my son."

Now that her suspicions were confirmed, Emma still felt her heart tug a little. He had another child. Obviously with another woman. Emma had a _brother_. She nodded her head, "so I have a brother.."

John thought for a moment before speaking, "I guess so. I never thought about it like that."

She began chewing on her lip again. He'd never thought about the fact that his oldest daughter had a half brother? Adam turned around and eyed the three adults before saying, "who're they?"

John cleared his throat, watching as Emma and Don took a seat on the couch. "Uh..well, this is Emma. And did you say your name was Don?"

He nodded in response, "Yes sir." He wasn't liking how this was going and they'd only been in the house for a total of twenty seconds.

Adam shrugged his shoulders and turned back to the tv. "Adam why don't you go on to your room, we'll be going here in a few minutes."

The little boy sighed loudly, as if he was being so put off. But he stood after a moment and turned the tv off, disappearing into the hallway. The three adults were quiet, all were uncomfortable. Emma was the first to speak up, "So how old is he?"

"He's four and a half," John replied.

"So you remarried?" Emma again, her hands wringing together again.

Her father nodded his head, "Yes. About five years ago. Her name is Heather, real nice woman. We met through some friends."

One of Don's hands covered Emma's, to stop them from shaking so much. Emma nodded, "Do they know you were married before? And that I'm your daughter?"

John was quiet for a moment before he shook his head. "I told Heather about you last week, when I'd heard you were coming into town. Adam didn't know until last night."

"Didn't know?" Her voice as a low whisper. "You didn't want to tell them about me? You didn't want your son to know he has a sister?"

"Half sister," John answered quietly.

"Half sister, whatever." She sighed, none of this was going how she imagined it, "Why didn't you tell them about me?"

Her father shrugged, looking down at his feet. "Emma, your mother and I were very young when we married. We were young when we had you."

"So? I mean, yeah you two got divorced but you never called or anything!" Her hand tightened around Don's inadvertently, she was beginning to lose her cool.

"I thought your mother would do a much better job at raising you by herself than with me around. That's really the only explanation I can offer right now. But I'm happy with Heather and Adam."

"I don't get why you didn't tell them at least about me, and I'm talking about before last week." Emma shook her head.

Don was uncomfortable, obviously sitting there in between what was closely resembling an argument. He had no idea what to say or do although Emma was getting to the point of squeezing his hand so hard that it hurt.

John looked over at her, "Look Emma, your mother and I didn't work out. I was never one for kids anyway and I realized I did not love Linda the way I needed to."

Emma looked hurt, he was also alluding that he hadn't been able to love her the way he needed to either. "But you can with the new wife and kid, right?"

He nodded, "Yes. I grew up a little bit."

"Why did you invite me over then? You could've just told me this over the phone."

"I wanted you to have some closure on this whole situation. You seem to be doing fine by yourself, Emma."

Don's jaw was clenching and unclenching, the urge to punch the man was rising. Emma looked absolutely crushed and as if she was about to cry. Of course she wouldn't give the older man the satisfaction of doing so. Emma stood, pulling Don up with her. "I guess we should be going then."

John stood with the two of them, nodding in agreement. "That might be the best thing to do."

Don held onto her tightly as they nearly ran to get out of the house. His hand felt like it was going to break with all the strength she was holding it with. They got outside and out to the car before Emma let the first tear fall. She wiped at it angrily, finally dropping Don's hand as she stalked around to the passenger side of the car. He unlocked the doors and the both of them got into the car without a word. Don started the car and backed out of the driveway as quickly as he could, catching a glimpse of Emma's father standing on the front porch. That was also Emma's last look at her father.

They were about a mile down the road when Don felt like he had to say something, anything to ease the rising tension in the car. "Emma, I'm sorry.."

She shook her head, leaning against the window, "Don't mention it again. I just want to forget any of this ever happened."

"But I-"

"Don, I'm serious." Then she added softly, "please?"

He sighed and reached over, grabbing her hand in his. "He doesn't deserve to have you or your mother. He doesn't deserve to know what a great person you've become, he had no part in raising you."

She let out a sniffle, glancing over at him, "Yeah but..it still hurts. He never wanted me, he might as well have just said that!"

"I know. I can't imagine how that feels for you." He pulled over on the side of the road, turning towards her the best he could, "hey come on, look at me."

Her eyes were watering and she was sure her mascara was running down her face in rivers. But she finally looked over at him, "what?"

He wanted to kiss her, he really did. The want and need to reach over there, grab her and kiss her was almost too much to bear. But he didn't want to do it and have her think he was only doing it to make her feel better or something stupid like that. Groaning inwardly, Don wanted to hit himself. He looked at her, "I..I don't know. I'm just sorry this all happened to you."

She nodded and reached over, hugging him tightly, "Thanks for coming with me."

Don's arms looped around her, holding her just as tightly. She was crying again and all he could do was hug her while they sat on the side of the road. He kissed the top of her head, watching as she pulled back. She was wiping at her eyes with the back of her hands. And while she did have mascara running down her face, he never thought she'd looked more beautiful.

With a smile, a shake of his head and a quiet mumble of, "don't worry 'bout it." Don turned back around in his seat and started the car again. He pulled off the side of the road and started the drive back to the house.


	24. Chapter 24

The next day came far too quickly for Emma in a lot of ways but in others she was ready to return to her life in New York. The drive back to her mother's house had been quiet and tense, littered with a few sniffles from her here and there. She barely said a word to anyone for the rest of the night, even though Linda tried once Don explained what had happened. Linda had pretty much known why her first marriage had dissolved, she just hadn't thought John would come right out and hurt Emma like that so needless to say, she was mad beyond belief. But Emma was pretty inconsolable for the remainder of the night, only making a brief appearance at dinner before going back to her room.

Don was worried about her, not used to her being so quiet or so sad. He had such high hopes that John was going to turn out to be the knight in shining armor Emma had always envisioned him as. He watched as she barely picked at the dinner Linda had made and then watched helplessly as she wandered off to her room. Linda sighed as she picked up the plates to start cleaning up the kitchen, Don following a minute later. She smiled over at him, "You don't have to help, you know."

He shrugged his shoulders, "Nah I'd hear it from my mother if I didn't."

She laughed, "She instilled the fear of God in you if you didn't help clean the kitchen?"

"Exactly," He said with a grin.

Linda washed the dishes as he stood beside her, a towel in his hands to help dry as she handed them to him. "Emma's lucky to have you," She said after a long moment of silence.

"What'd you mean?" He asked, glancing at her.

"I mean just that, Don. She's lucky to have a friend like you. Not many people would come visit like this, and they certainly wouldn't play up the role of boyfriend." Linda smiled, handing him one of the plates.

He grew quiet as he concentrated on drying the plate. Setting it aside he finally stole a glance at Emma's mom, "I think I'm pretty lucky to have her too though. But I've never seen her like this."

Linda nodded, "I know. I haven't either really. I think she just wanted too much out of seeing her father. And I swear if I could get my hands on the guy, I'd wring his neck for hurting her like that."

"Did you know? I mean, did you know he remarried and had a kid?"

"I'd heard rumors from certain other family members. But I hadn't seen him in awhile." She handed him one of the glasses, leaning against the counter with her hip, "Now if you're asking if I knew that he didn't really want children or anything? To be honest, now that I look back on it I think there were signs. But I think he wanted to do the 'right' thing."

He nodded his head as he set the glass on the counter, leaning against the counter as he watched her. "I think Emma's better off without him around."

"Me too." Linda sighed softly, "I worry about her being by herself in New York. Especially after what happened with Marissa. But I know in my heart that she's okay, that she'll be okay. This whole thing with her father might be a bit of a setback for her but I think she'll bounce back."

"Is that why you moved to New York in the first place, to bounce back?"

She laughed, "Ever the detective, huh?"

He grinned, shrugging his shoulders, "Can't help it sometimes. I'm sorry, I'm sure I'm prying."

"No way." Linda shook her head, "I did move away from Georgia to get away from everything. Everyone was up in arms when they learned we were getting a divorce. I didn't want to subject Emma to anything bad that anyone had to say. Getting her away from all of this was probably the best thing I did. Although she did hate the city when we first moved there, especially after a certain blue eyed boy got her detention one day."

He laughed at that, remembering his and Emma's detention stint very well. "I apologized about a million times after that," He said teasingly.

"I know, and let's face it because she probably deserved the detention at that point." Linda smiled, patting one of his arms, "You're good for each other even if you're not _really_ dating."

Unfortunately for Don, he was starting to turn a light shade of red. Linda was embarrassing the hell out of him and she knew it too, giving him a knowing look as she finished cleaning up around the kitchen. He rubbed the back of his neck, "So you need me for anything else?"

"Nope I think you're good to go. You do have a flight to catch tomorrow.."

He smiled, "If I haven't done it before, I'd just like to thank you for letting me stay here and all that."

Linda waved him off, "You've had to put up with my daughter for far too long now, it's not a problem if you stay here. And I mean that on down the road, if you need anything or a place to stay or whatever, you can always do it here."

"Am I going to need to come back to Georgia?"

She shrugged as she moved past him to turn off the lights in the kitchen, "Well if any of our family has anything to do with it, you and Emma will be married by year's end." And with one last pat on the shoulder, Linda left him alone in the darkened kitchen.

* * *

Emma was quiet on the drive back to Atlanta the next day. She was in the passenger seat alternating between sleeping and staring out the window. Don had tried to engage her in some kind of conversation but one word answers were beginning to get on his nerves. It'd been sad for Emma to leave her mother, knowing she probably wouldn't get back to see her for awhile. But as sad as she was to be leaving, she couldn't wait to get back to New York. New York felt like home, and at least there she could forget about everything bad that had happened. 

She was quiet as they arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and turned in their rental car. She was quiet as they checked-in, went through security and waited for their plane to bored. Emma napped in one of the uncomfortable chairs in their terminal as they waited and Don read the newspaper, watching her from time to time. He knew she hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, she'd admitted it sheepishly that morning when her mother had commented on the dark circles under her eyes.

Emma was even quiet as they boarded their flight for home, smiling only a little bit when Don's hands gripped the armrests so hard his knuckles turned white as the plane began its ascent into the blue sky. She turned towards him as best she could, "Why do you hate flying so much?"

He looked over at her, that had to be the first full sentence she'd said to him so far all day. "I don't hate it."

"Why are you afraid then?"

"I'm not afraid."

Giving him a pointed look, she grabbed one of his hands in hers. "You're practically shaking Don."

He sighed loudly and stared straight ahead at the back of the seat in front of him. "I've never been a big fan of flying, ever. Danny told me it's a control issue but whatever."

"Is that it?" She asked, prodding softly.

Rolling his eyes, knowing that she was just trying to help but still, was this the absolute best time to play therapist? "It just makes me nervous, all right?"

She nodded, seemingly placated for the moment. She sat back in her seat but didn't let go of his hand just yet. "How come you think my dad didn't want me?" She asked quietly.

"Emma.." He sighed in relief as the plane reached its altitude and could hear the stewardesses beginning to move around, that meant everything was fine. "I don't think that he didn't want you. I think he..felt like he had to do right by your mom when she got pregnant."

It was her turn to stare straight ahead, staring at the back of the guy's head in front of her. She had the aisle seat that time and she couldn't really concentrate on anything, her mind was on overdrive. She nodded after a long moment, "I know. It just hurts.."

He gave her hand a squeeze, "I can imagine. But hey, look at it this way, you can always go visit my parents and they can tell you lots of embarrassing stories about me?"

She laughed at that, "What?"

"I'm serious! My parents love you. And your mom is great, least you've got one parent that's like..perfect." He shrugged, "You got a ton of people around you that care a lot about you. You don't need him."

She nodded, seeming to brighten up just a little bit. She smiled, "Thanks Don."

"Hey if you can distract me from stressing out about flying then I can help you out every now and then too."

Emma watched as he turned to take a cautious look out the window. She leaned over towards him, "So..flying's not so bad, right?"

He laughed, looking at her, "Maybe not. I'm not admitting to a damn thing though."

"Oh why not? I love the window seat, I would've taken it again!"

"Nah I figured I'd let you be the one to stretch out and all that. I'll be all cramped, it's fine." He grinned, nudging her, "get back in your own seat Em, we're not joining the mile high club."

Emma raised an eyebrow before reaching over with one of her hands, poking him as hard as she could in the shoulder, "I wouldn't join the mile high club with you anyway."

Don gasped dramatically, holding a hand over his heart as he tried his best to look wounded. "Ouch, ouch. That hurts Emma! How could you?"

"Oh whatever. You wouldn't want to join the mile high club with me! I'm not blonde, tall and well..." She shrugged, looking down at herself, "I'm lacking in the boob department."

Don laughed, the two of them were just getting silly thanks to lack of sleep. "Why do you think all I am attracted to are tall blondes?"

"Your last few girlfriends, or dates or whatever have been tall blondes. That's your type." She leaned against his shoulder, "Don't lie either."

"I'm not lying!" He shook his head, "You are ridiculous."

She turned her head to look up at him better. "I can't believe my whole family, and Jenny's friends and all those people believed we were together."

"I can't believe it worked." And that was true because he really hadn't thought it'd work or that people would fall for it. "I mean, not that it would be so bad if we _were_ together in real life."

Emma laughed softly, "Nah that wouldn't be so bad. I'd just get you to go beat up anyone who double crossed me."

"And I could get one of the CSI's to hide the body if I needed them to." He grinned, "You gonna fall asleep there?"

"Nope I was just getting comfortable." Emma looked away from him then, watching as one of the stewardesses came down the aisle.

Don looked out the window again, really not minding being on a plane at that moment in time. It wasn't so bad when he had a cute girl laying on his shoulder anyway. And he could admit that the view from the window wasn't so bad after all.


	25. Chapter 25

_AN: Sorry for the long delay between chapters! I'm quickly posting this from work though. I've started back at college so this week has been a tad crazier than I thought. Hopefully, this will all calm down and I can get back into writing this story better than I have been. The next chapter should be up tonight!_

* * *

The moment the two of them entered New York, it was like they were off and running. Don was immediately back at work the day after they returned and Emma was off doing her own thing, effectively forgetting about anything negative that had happened on the trip. They didn't see each other much and were stuck playing phone tag and relaying messages with Aiden, who'd called Emma to see about hanging out one night when she didn't have to work.

It was hard to believe that a whole week went by without Don seeing Emma and vice versa. He was so busy though he barely had time to eat dinner, let alone talk on the phone for more than two seconds. It was also a little strange for him since he'd gotten used to seeing and talking to her so much. He mentally beat himself up though, knowing the two of them _weren't_ together and he just needed to get over that fact already. Grabbing a cup of coffee on his way to see Danny, he caught Aiden leaving her breakroom, laughing about something on the phone. She stopped when she saw him and said something he couldn't decipher into the receiver before hanging up. He raised an eyebrow, "Uh oh. What is it?"

She laughed again, starting for the office she shared with Danny. "I was talking to Emma, she was telling me about the baby shower. Did you really make a potato baby?"

He groaned inwardly, that damn story was going to haunt him until he was well and dead. He shrugged his shoulders, "Possibly. And all those women ate it up."

"Only because you probably gave one of those smiles that scream 'I'm a gentleman, I swear!' and all of us around here know that's not true." She pushed the door open, walking over to her desk, "So what are you doing up here?"

"Hey I am too!" He protested it, not like they all _knew_ him outside of the crime lab or precinct. "I came to see Danny, so there."

"He's obviously not here, dumbass." She laughed, sitting down in front of her computer, "He probably went to grab some lunch, should be back in a few."

Don nodded and leaned against the desk belonging to his male friend. "So you and Emma were talking about me?"

Aiden looked at him over the top of her computer screen and shook her head, "You have got it so bad."

"Huh?"

"You've got it bad! For her!"

He rolled his eyes, "I do not."

"Bullshit."

Shaking his head, he pushed away from the desk. If Danny wasn't there then there was no point in him being in their office, especially if Aiden was going to bug the hell out of him. "Whatever."

"Want me to find out if she likes you too? Maybe send her a note saying _'do you like Flack? check yes or no' _and all that?" Aiden was grinning, ducking her head to try to pretend she was working.

"Aiden!"

She laughed loudly,"Hey if you're gonna act elementary about liking her then well...you'll get treated like it. We're meeting up for dinner tonight anyway."

"You are?" Suddenly Don was interested, after all he hadn't seen Emma in a whole week. And in Don's world that might as well have been a lifetime.

"Mmhm," She answered, clicking on something on the screen. "Why?"

"Uh no reason." He tossed his coffee cup into the trash and turned to leave the office, rubbing the back of his neck.

Aiden watched him leave, amused at how completely odd he was acting. She shook her head with a grin and looked back at the computer screen, mumbling, "He has got it bad."

* * *

Emma sat in the back of the small restaurant, looking over the menu while she waited for Aiden that night. The two women had talked on the phone a few times and finally decided they should hang out. Aiden had called her around 6 that evening, telling her to just meet her at the restaurant and that she shouldn't be later than 7:30. It felt nice to get out and actually do something fun, since arriving back in New York Emma had been working non-stop. She usually had time at the end of the evening to go home, eat, then go to bed and get up in enough time to do it all over again. She'd been put to work the morning after she got back, a show was coming up in the next few weeks and she was doing all the grunt work. It was for a female artist who was proving to be more difficult than she needed to be, finding things wrong with the gallery itself and where they were holding the show. The caterer was wrong, the food was wrong, drinks were wrong and so far, the guest list was wrong too. Emma was getting a little sick of it and if it hadn't been for Luisa, she might've gone ahead and quit. 

But it was good for her to get out, at least that's what her mother had said when she'd talked to her earlier in the week. She hadn't really been out with anyone, friend-wise, in awhile. Aiden had proved to be more funny and way more of a spitefire than Emma had imagined but the two got along famously every time they talked, or when they ran into each other when Emma would visit Don. So hanging out together was the logical next step. She looked up when a shadow crossed over the table, smiling at Aiden. She was right on time but Emma had to tease just a little bit, "Here I thought I'd have to invite one of those cute businessmen over to eat with me."

Aiden laughed and sat down across from her. "Oh please, I am a way better date than any of them."

Both women glanced over at a table full of men in way overpriced suits. They looked as if they were either lawyer's or worked on Wall Street. One of them caught their glances and smiled, lifting up his glass in their direction as a way of greeting.

Emma groaned and buried her face back in the menu. "Okay that was a tad embarrassing."

"Nah. Now if they come over here, _that_ might be embarrassing." Aiden opened her own menu, looking it over, "So what are you gonna order?"

"I haven't decided yet. Everything sounds amazing though." She reached for the glass of wine she'd ordered, taking a small sip, "how was work?"

"It was all right, stayed up in the lab most of the day. All caught up on paperwork though, in fact I'm so caught up that I had time to help Messer with some of his."

Emma laughed, "Was he mad about that?"

"Oh he grumbled some, like he tends to do but I think he appreciated it. I think him and Flack were going out after their shifts." Aiden looked up as the waiter stopped at their table, ordering her own drink before ordering her food.

Emma ordered as well, handing her menu to the waiter. "Oh god, they better not go get drunk," She shook her head. "That night we all went out, he was very...giggly."

Aiden laughed, "Flack? Giggly?"

"Yes!" Emma exclaimed before laughing, "he has a tendency to get a little goofy when he drinks a lot. He even did it in high school."

"You've got to show some pictures one of these days. I need some ammo," Aiden grinned.

Emma smiled, "I've got a ton. In fact I'm such a nerd that I have scrapbooks from back then."

"Scrapbooks? Now that is one thing I've never gotten into...but you definitely have to show me one of these days." Aiden smiled as the waiter brought her drink, setting it down in front of her.

"I've got so many pictures of _stuff_. If I didn't have a place to put them, they'd be in boxes and probably taking over my apartment. I have got the best picture of Don though. It was that night after we all went out, he ended up staying at my place--and don't give me that look!"

Aiden laughed and held her hands up, "I'm not!"

"Bullshit you're not!" Emma shook her head, "Anyway. He stayed over and in the morning, he looked so cute sleeping that I took a picture of it."

Her eyes widened, "Oh give me a copy! How cute...and how blackmail-ish."

"I might. I have yet to develop it though." Emma smiled, "you would so blackmail him with it."

"What else are friends for?" Aiden laughed, "So what is going on with you two? I mean, I know you said he played boyfriend or whatever. And I know you said you all are just friends but..c'mon Emma, he is hot." Aiden paused and pointed at Emma, "And if you tell him that, just know that I know how to get rid of a body."

She laughed, "I won't say a word, trust me. As for me and him...I don't know. He is good looking and he's one of the greatest people I know. But I'm not his type. He likes those model wannabe types!"

"Okay Christianna was a momentary lapse in judgement." Aiden thought for a moment, "Well..so have his other girlfriends for that matter. But has it ever occured to you that you _are_ his type?"

"Not really." She shrugged, "We're just better off as friends. I mean, what if we went out and it was a total disaster? Then I'd lose one of the best friends I've ever known."

Aiden smiled, "Yeah but come on. He _is_ a great guy. And, you won't know unless you try."

Someone had to shove those two together and if it had to be Aiden, then so be it.


	26. Chapter 26

Aiden made her way down the hallway the next afternoon, heading straight for her office. The night before had ended fairly early but she still felt like her head was stuck up in the clouds, of course that might be because of the several drinks her and Emma had shared. And of course, some of those drinks had been bought the table full of businessmen near them that had thought it ridiculous that two women were alone on an evening like that. The men were all horrible flirts but both women had enjoyed their company and they had been pretty nice guys but now, Aiden was feeling the after effects. She shouldn't have been surprised to see a very anxious looking Don Flack leaning against her desk, watching the door but she was a little more than surprised when he nearly pounced on her. He followed her around every inch of the office, asking about what her and Emma had gotten up to the night before. He wanted to know every single detail and it was beginning to freak Aiden out. Finally she turned towards him, surprised that he was as close to her as he was. He nearly stumbled back a foot, looking a little sheepish. Aiden shook her head, "I wish you'd just ask her out already. Seriously."

"What are you talking about?" He turned then, wandering back around the desk. He was doing a horrible job of acting like he was looking for something important.

Aiden put her hands on her hips, staring at him for a moment. "Fuck, Don. You have got to ask her out. I'm being serious!"

He raised an eyebrow at her outburst, "What _are _you talking about Aiden?"

"Emma, you big idiot!"

Don had to duck out of the way as a pen came sailing by his head and glared at Aiden, "Excuse you."

"No excuse you. Do you know she thinks she's not your type?"

"I have a type?" He asked. After all it wasn't like he discriminated against women!

Aiden groaned, "Where the fuck is Danny when I need him? I mean, seriously. I need him to knock some sense into that thick damn head of yours." She mumbled some more things he couldn't make out, sitting down at her desk and clicking a few things on her computer screen.

"No I'm serious. I have a type?" He sat down at Danny's computer, stretching his legs in front of him.

She didn't look at him but nodded her head anyway. "Yes. You apparently do. We've all noticed you've been a little more than attracted to tall, leggy blondes."

"So?"

"So. Emma thinks you're hot, dumbass."

He perked up a bit at that; a detail that didn't go unnoticed by Aiden and she had to fight to hide a grin. He tried (badly) to not look so damn happy about that but it was hard. "Oh, so she does?"

"Mmhmm. But she thinks your type is tall, blonde and blue eyed. She also doesn't want to ruin your all's friendship. I don't know, I'd had about two drinks when she started rambling about that so I'm not completely sure what she was going on about."

"Since when do two drinks make you drunk?"

Aiden laughed, "When I hadn't eaten much at the time. I'm paying for it all now."

Danny walked in then, giving Don a look. "Yeah so that's my desk," He said pointedly.

"No shit?" He grinned but stood up, watching as his male friend sat down at his desk, setting a manila folder down on top of it.

Danny just shook his head with a grin, "Idiot. So what are you doing here?"

"He's grilling me for information on Emma," Aiden said before Don could come up with some lame excuse.

He glared at her but didn't say anything. Danny just looked confused, "Emma...as in your friend Emma?"

Don nodded his head, again looking sheepish. "Uh..yeah."

Aiden was grinning now, "She thinks he's hot. And he thinks she's hot, and don't argue with me Flack or else I'll tell the potato baby story."

"Hey!"

Danny just shook his head, "I do not want to know what kinda kinky shit you get up to in your spare time. So why don't you ask her out?"

"I am not talking about this with you two." Don opened the door to leave, looking back at Aiden, "no telling the potato baby story."

"Yeah sure." She waved him off, sharing a grin with Danny across their computers.

* * *

Emma could barely see over the tops of the brown paper bags as she made her way towards her apartment. Grocery shopping was never on the top of her list until she was nearly out of food and was about to resort to eating bread and water for meals. Having the day off meant she had a lot to do around her place and also made it a point to actually get some things to keep in her fridge. Unlike Aiden, she didn't have any ill effects from their night out. It had been fun for her though and she could definitely see hanging out with Aiden more often in the future. They had joined in with the table full of businessmen, most of whom _had_ been lawyers. They were mostly older men but had made for great conversation. The two women nearly closed the restaurant and had shared a cab, dropping Emma off first at her apartment. She'd fallen asleep almost as soon as she hit the bed and had manage to wake up at a fairly decent hour. Now her apartment had been cleaned and she'd done the grocery shopping, and all she was looking forward to was vegging out on the couch for the rest of the day.

Those plans went slightly amiss when she collided with something taller, bigger and more solid than anything else. The bags she was holding went flying, as did all of the contents. Emma nearly fell backwards before she could catch herself but a strong arm came out, catching her around the waist before she could fall flat on the floor. She looked up, finding herself looking into a pair of light brown eyes. The guy was good looking form what she could tell. His clothes were paint spattered and it was then she noticed the ladder just a foot away, a couple of paint cans on the floor. The man laughed softly, steadying her before he took a step back. "Are you okay? I didn't see you coming."

Emma nodded and bent down to pick up some of the things that had fallen out of the bags. He did the same, holding out a can of soup towards her. She smiled, "Sorry. Yeah I'm fine, I just couldn't see very well...you know, vertically challenged and all."

He laughed again and stood up once she did. "Well hopefully none of your food got ruined."

"Oh no, it was all..non-persishable. I can't cook to save my life." She was able to save one of the bags and shoved everything that had fallen out into the bag. "I didn't know the building was being painted.."

"Oh yeah, I think the manager sent out a notice. At least there was supposed to be," He grinned but had moved back towards the ladder.

Emma laughed and moved around him to go to her apartment. "I probably got it and completely didn't notice it. Sorry for running into you."

"No problem, just glad you weren't hurt," He replied as he went back to whatever it was he'd been doing before she'd come barreling down the hallway.

She got her keys out and unlocked the door, pushing it open with her foot. "You too, thanks!" She let the door close behind her and reached back, locking the door for good measure. The guy had seemed nice enough but something hadn't set well with her, and she really couldn't remember seeing a notice about the building getting painted. Shaking her head, Emma made her way into the kitchen to unload the crumpled bag of groceries.

* * *

Yawning, he let himself into his apartment and immediately started to take off his suit jacket. The jacket was laid over the back of the chair and his shoes were next to come off before reaching up to undo his tie. His cell phone rang within his pocket and he grabbed it out of his pocket, wandering through the living room and flipping on a few lights as he did so. "Well if it isn't Aiden's new best friend.."

"Ha! Very funny," Emma laughed softly on the other end of the phone. "How are you? I was hoping to catch you when you weren't actually working."

He yawned again before laughing, "Yeah sorry. I just got home actually, just walked in the door. What are you doing?"

"I am...well I was watching tv. But now I'm talking to you, obviously." She was on the couch in her living room, stretched out. The tv was on but was on low volume, playing the news. She'd been flipping through the channels a few times but had grown bored with whatever was on.

"Oh obviously." Don sat down heavily on the edge of the bed, starting to unbutton his shirt, "your had today off?"

"Yeah but I worked around the apartment. Seriously my fridge was empty." Emma sighed softly, "and then I nearly got taken out by some guy painting in the hallway."

"Sounds like fun. How was last night with Aiden? I mean, I got some of her side of it."

"Uh oh." She laughed, "no it was really a lot of fun. Dinner was great, it was this small little Italian place. But we just ate and drank and ended up talking with these guys at the next table. All in all it was a good night though."

"Well good. You'll have to tell me where this place is, maybe we can grab dinner one night." The last part slipped out before he could totally think about it. But once it was out he couldn't very well take it back without seeming to be a bad guy. He also could admit to _wanting_ to go out with her so he might as well take the plunge, even if he was about half asleep.

There was silence on the other end and for a moment he was sure she'd hung up. Emma was a little stunned on the other end, did he just ask her out? Okay she knew he'd just asked her out but the tone of his voice had sounded completely different because obviously they'd gone out before but not _gone out_. It was then she realized she'd been quiet for what seemed like forever. "Oh well yeah sure.." She paused for another moment, "hey Don?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you just ask me out on a date?"

He laughed softly, nervously. "And if I did?"

Emma groaned on the other end of the phone, sometimes he could be so aggravating. "Quit answering a question with a question!"

He laughed again. "Sorry, I was just teasing. But well...yeah, I guess you can say it'd be a date."

Another silence on the other end of the phone and again he started to think she'd hung up. She let out something that _had _ to be categorized as a giggle. "Okay okay I did not just do that." She groaned again and her voice was muffled, mostly because she'd covered her face with her hands. She'd turned into a giggling schoolgirl within five seconds!

"Emma?"

"Sorry!" She laughed again, "okay I didn't do that. You just ignore it."

"So are you going to go out with me or not?"

"Yes! Jerk." She smiled, chewing on her bottom lip, "Yeah we can go out. I mean, before Aiden has a stroke.."

"Seriously. She was on my case again today and even had Danny asking me about it too. By the way, quit telling people about me making a potato baby."

And just like that, the slightly awkward dating question had been forgotten and they'd fallen back into their normal routine of arguing and teasing one another. One thing about it though, neither could wait to go out with the other.


	27. Chapter 27

He shouldn't be nervous. He _really _shouldn't be nervous. He had nothing to be nervous for. But that didn't stop the butterflies in his stomach from having a party and threaten to burst through his skin. He wasn't even on the damn date yet; they hadn't even really pinned down an exact date. No, all Don was doing was standing in Aiden's office waiting for her to come in with that damn grin on her face and tell him four words he didn't really want to hear. 

The door swung open and there she was with that grin. She sauntered around him to grab something up off her desk before looking at him, "I told you so."

Don rolled his eyes and looked over at Danny, who was watching the two of them with an amused look on his face. Danny shrugged, "And I told you she's always like this."

He shook his head, "You are both worse than old women."

"I told you she thought you were hot." Aiden left the office, grinning at the men over her shoulder as she did so.

Danny looked up at his friend over the rim of his glasses, "So you asked her out? _Finally_?"

"Yes I finally asked her out. Jesus Christ, nothing stays secret around here does it?" He wasn't really that aggravated but it was a little bad when no little secret could stay between a couple of people without the entire building finding out about it.

"Not really, you should know that by now." He laughed and stood up, "C'mon let's go grab Stella and get a bite to eat before my stomach eats itself."

Don did as he said but still grumbled under his breath as he followed Danny. No doubt Stella had also heard about his upcoming date and would tease him about it. He'd be lucky to spend the rest of the day without a permanent blush on his face.

Stella was waiting for them down near the elevators and smiled brightly when she saw Don, "Aww if it's not our little Casanova!"

He rolled his eyes, looking over at Danny who had a smirk plastered on his face. "This is not funny and is getting real old. I'm not telling anyone anything ever again."

The three of them got into the elevator with Don still grumbling under his breath. Stella placed her hand on his shoulder, "You know we only tease because we care about you. I, personally, think it's cute."

He could feel himself starting to turn a shade of red, how she could embarrass him without hardly trying was irritating. That and Don Flack Jr. did _not_ blush, damnit. He shrugged, "It's just a date. Not like I'm gonna marry the girl or anything."

"Well she is about the only woman who will put up with you," Danny remarked from his corner of the elevator.

Don glared at him for a moment, "No one asked your opinion Messer."

"Hey, hey I only speak the truth." The elevator doors opened and they stepped out. Stella was enjoying listening to them banter back and forth, but even she had to admit that Don looked happier and...lighter (if a guy could look lighter) than he had in days. He was finally starting to crack a grin as they stepped out of the building and onto the street. She clapped them both on the shoulders, "All right boys, where are we off to?"

* * *

She'd left her apartment early that morning, earlier than normal in order to get some breakfast and coffee on her way into work. Caffeine seemed to be a constant staple in Emma's life since she wasn't necessarily a morning person. She'd been vaguely aware of that same painter guy still in the hallway but neither had said a word to the other, plus she still wasn't sure why she was getting a bad vibe from the guy. But Emma was a little more distracted than normal. She'd spent the night before planning out in her head what she was going to wear. She swore she felt like she was back in high school again, getting ready for a first date with the star quarterback or something. It did make it a little worse that it was with Don though. But she had no need to be nervous, it wasn't like this was a blind date or anything. Just a small date between friends. 

Work was pretty slow that day though so she had more time to sit around and plan in her head what she was going to wear. She wasn't sure when exactly they were going to go out but still, a girl always had to be ready. Her phone rang around lunchtime and since she was the only one in the store, she took the call. "Hello?"

"So how did you turn Flack into a nervous ninny?"

Emma let out a laugh, "I don't think I've ever heard anyone besides my grandmother use the phrase 'nervous ninny'.."

"I blame it on having to question a ninety year old woman earlier. There were lots of phrases and anecdotes I've never heard before."

She snorted, "Hi Danny."

"So. How'd you do it!"

"I didn't do anything! He is the one that asked me out and I just had to clarify that it was a date." She walked out from behind the front counter, making her way to the front window, "What are you doing calling me anyway?"

"Aiden gave me your number after I got back from lunch. She said I needed to find out all the dirt, or something. But seriously, the guy has been floating. At least that's how Stella put it." He cursed on the other end of the phone, "fuck almost dropped the phone!"

She pulled her phone away from her ear with a wince, "I can tell."

"Sorry. I thought he was coming and he'd probably throw a shitfit if he knew I was talking to you about...this." Danny laughed, "Stella's been picking on him all morning, it's been fun to watch. Even Mac got in on it, and hello this is Mac we're talking about!"

Emma laughed, "You all are making his life hell, aren't you?"

"Of course. We gotta pick on him just a little. Nah but he does seem pretty happy to be going out with you." Danny sighed as he sat back down at his desk, "when are you all going out on the big date?"

"I don't know, he was pretty tired last night so we didn't get a chance to talk for very long. Probably this weekend maybe. Where's Aiden anyway?" She was leaning against the wall, watching as people walked back and forth in front of the door.

"She's on some rape case. Said she wanted to hear some happy news when she got back."

Emma made a face, well aware of all the bad things they had to deal with on a nearly daily basis. Don had told her a few horror stories over the years and she definitely didn't think she'd be cut out for a job like his or like the CSI's. "Well you can tell her I've been planning my outfit all day."

"Women do that?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"But that means you usually look really hot for the guy. And we usually end up staring like idiots."

"Guys do that anyway, Danny."

"Yeah thanks."

She laughed and moved back towards the front counter, "No offense or anything, of course."

"Yeah yeah. I'd better get off here but I'll give Aiden the message."

"Okay. We should all hang out one night or something, you know? I mean, not that I need to go out and get drunk again.."

"We'll have to get together, have a big dinner. I'll talk to Aiden. Maybe Stella and Hawkes can come...hey maybe we can actually get Mac out."

She smiled as she took her seat again. "Sounds good to me. I'll talk to you later?"

"Of course, I'm all into the gossip now," Danny said teasingly.

They said their goodbyes and Emma moved to put her phone back into her purse before going back to being bored at work, and of course thinking of what she could wear on her date.

* * *

_Secret4eyes: Eep! no killing me, you can gladly kill the jerk-o though, that's completely allowed ;) I'm going back and forth on what I want to have happen, it can go either way. Just depends on what the old muse has up her sleeve! _

_meadow567: it IS probably who you're thinking of lol The Emma/Flack date should be in the next chapter though! _

_sparkCSI: thanks for reading! and I'm glad you're liking it so far. Your spidey sense might be correct. I'm going back and forth on what I want to happen; I've got a few ideas up my sleeve. _

_sarramarks: I try to be a speedy updater, if only school and work didn't interfere lol _

_The Little Corinthian: possibly ;) _

_demolished-soul: Glad I could be of service then! lol I know what it's like to sit around all "dude when is someone going to update!" and believe me I've been wanting to update._

_ truebluepatfan12: thank you for the PM! There should be another update hopefully later this evening._

_AN: There should be another chapter posted later tonight (that should be longer than this one) but I wanted to get this up kind of early! Enjoy and thank you for the reviews!  
_


	28. Chapter 28

It was almost a week before Don and Emma finally had a chance to stop, breathe, talk to one another and decide on a day to go out. She'd made reservations at the same restaurant her and Aiden had dinner at and Don was going to pick her up at her apartment around 8:30. For almost an entire week Emma had her outfit planned in her head. She had no idea why she was going all out like she was, it was _just_ Don after all. But they'd both been acting like high schoolers all over again each time they talked on the phone, but she supposed it was a good thing they were both actually looking forward to the date. They each had their own share of bad dates, blind dates and anything in between.

She was standing in her bathroom, trying to fix her hair for the millionth time, when there was a knock on the door. Groaning audibly she left her hair down and hurried to the door as there was another knock. So she was running a little bit behind, that was normal for a woman right? She was sure Don would say something sexist like that, which would earn him a punch in the arm. Emma had just enough chance to catch a glimpse of herself in a small mirror hanging on the hallway wall, she had to admit she did look pretty good. She'd chosen a simple black dress but it was one of her favorites to wear out, and for that matter she didn't think Don had seen her in it. She stopped long enough to shove a stray piece of hair behind her ear as it fell into her eyes before opening the door.

Standing on the other side of the door, Don had to admit he was nervous. Nervous for what, he had no idea. He didn't know what this would all mean between him and Emma, especially since he'd just recently come to the realization that he _really _liked her. He wasn't sure how she felt at all other than knowing what she'd mentioned to Aiden. But he was looking forward to their date, even if he was nervous as hell. He didn't know what he was expecting when she opened the door because he'd seen her dressed up in the past and they'd gone out numerous times. For some reason though, seeing her dressed up for their date made her seem that much more attractive to him. Don grinned, ready with a smartass remark but sadly nothing came to mind. He was going to have to remind his brain not to quit working at the most inopportune moments.

Emma smiled at him, taking in the suit and tie he was wearing. She was sure she'd seen him in every suit he ever owned but this one she didn't recognize. She stepped back to let him in, "You look..great, Don. Is that new?"

He laughed as he stepped into the apartment, noticing that she hadn't yet put on her shoes and was running around barefoot for the moment. He nodded, "uh well...kinda, yeah. Don't make fun of me."

"Aiden told me that since this is a date, we're not allowed to make fun of each other." She laughed and turned, walking away from him, "let me grab my shoes and purse and we can go!"

Don scoffed at that, what kind of date would it be if they couldn't make fun of each other just a little? Emma came back a moment later, this time a few inches taller than she was when she left the room. He raised an eyebrow, "What, you tired of being the short one everywhere we go?"

"It's not my fault you're a damn giant." She pushed him towards the door, "Act like a gentleman! No making fun of my lack of height."

He laughed and opened the door, going out into the hallway. "I thought you said no picking on each other?"

"Well you started it." Emma locked the door and then hooked her arm through his, "No more picking on each other. So put on the gentleman act and be all suave."

"Suave? Oh please.."

* * *

Sitting across from her at a table that could barely seat two people, Don found himself looking at his friend in a completely new light. He didn't know what it was but he was noticing the small things she did. Emma had a nervous habit of twisting her hair around her finger, twirling one long strand around her index finger and then letting it unravel. She did that while looking over the menu while she pondered on what to order. She also had the habit of chewing on her nails, mostly her thumbnail. She seemed to do that while she thought no one was paying attention and did it absently as she looked around the quiet, uncrowded restaurant. Don found himself staring at her hand and moreso at her mouth, wishing for a long moment that he was that thumbnail. A stupid thought of course, but oh how he'd give anything to be that close to her mouth at that moment... 

Then he stopped himself, trying to think of anything in the world that was not hot or attractive. This was their first date! That didn't mean they were going to run off and get naked in the next fifteen minutes or something. Hell, it wasn't even like they were dating! He had to take this slow, and quit wishing that he was her damn thumbnail of all things.

Emma dropped her hands into her lap, suddenly aware that she was doing every nervous habit she ever had. It was just that she didn't know what to do with her hands, especially when the two of them weren't talking. Usually there was no shortage of conversation with Don but it seemed like they were both nervous about this whole dating thing. Plus she'd caught herself staring at him and especially at the way his tie brought out the color of his eyes even more than normal. Then she'd become fixated on his hands that were lying on the table either messing with the menu or messing with the utensils. She didn't know what her obsession was with hands but his were especially nice. Then her mind turned a little more dirty than intended and she'd nearly turned red as a tomato.

Don noticed her cheeks flush a slight red color and raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay?"

She looked up, alarmed that he'd caught her. Suddenly the room was too hot and she almost felt the need to bolt from the table before she could turn any redder. She laughed and covered her face, "I am not telling you what I was just thinking about so don't ask."

"I don't think I want to know but I don't think I've ever seen you turn that bright of a red." He laughed, "Emma..."

She shook her head quickly, "Nope. Nope. I'm not telling!" She sat back in her seat, trying desperately to think of anything other than his hands and what his hands might be capable of.

He laughed but didn't question her any further and finally after a few moments, Emma didn't look as beet red as she had moments before. He looked around the restaurant, noticing that it wasn't all that crowded. It looked like a few other couples were located around them in the dimly lit restaurant, and what had to be a business meeting at a table a few feet from them but other than that it was pretty empty. "So this place seems nice.."

"Yeah, it was really good that night Aiden and I met up. The food is great, although they give you so much you could have leftovers for weeks." She smiled, "Do you like it?"

He nodded, "Yeah I do. It's nice." He grinned, looking over the table at her, "and hey my date's not so bad either."

"Oh thanks!" Emma laughed, "Here I tried to get all pretty for you and I'm not so bad? Geez Flack."

"I'm teasing and you know it. I think you look...well, for lack of a better word, beautiful." He shrugged his shoulders, "Sure you don't mind going out on a date with a boring guy like me?"

She rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically, "I was hoping to ditch you later and go find a hot guy at that club down the street but...I guess you'll just have to do for now."

"Damn right I will have to do!" Don laughed before leaning over the table some towards her, "and for what it's worth I'm uh..glad you said yes."

She smiled brightly at him, "Trust me I wouldn't say no."

"If I was really ugly you would."

"I am not that damn vain, Jesus." She shook her head and resisted the urge to throw a packet of sugar at him, "You know me better than that."

He nodded at the last bit because it was true, he did know her. He just couldn't help but want to know everything that he didn't already know.

* * *

Dinner went off without a hitch and after the intial moment of slight awkwardness, the two of them fell into their normal conversation. Flirting might have played a bigger role than normal but neither seemed to mind. Emma did protest when he insisted on paying for their dinner but eventually relented and the two of them sat around talking until well after the restaurant closed. 

Don had to admit that he was a little surprised when her smaller hand slipped into his as they left the restaurant, walking down the street to where he'd parked his car. But as surprised as he was, it was also a nice feeling. He felt like her hand fit just right in his. She looked up at him, "So was this a good date?"

"I think so. Is it over yet? I mean are you going to run screaming from me here in the next few seconds, ranting about how I am a horrible date?"

She nudged him with her hip, "_No_, smartass. I was just asking."

"I know, I know. Least it wasn't some cheesy blind date, 'cause how awkward are those?"

"Yes! I have never had a successful blind date, ever. And even when it's someone I know, it's usually been kind of weird. But..tonight wasn't weird at all."

He smiled as they reached his car, "Good. I'm glad, it wasn't weird for me either."

Emma smiled at him and reluctantly pulled her hand from his to go around to the passenger side of the car. He unlocked the door and they both got inside.

She sat in her seat, anxiously folding and unfolding her hands in her lap. Her knee was also bouncing up and down. Now that they'd had their date, what would happen next? She chewed on her lip for a moment before glancing at him. Don's fingers were tapping on the steering wheel to the song playing lowly on the radio but other than that, his eyes were fixed on the street in front of them. Even though it was well past midnight traffic was still pretty heavy so it was going to take them a few minutes to get back to her building. "Hey Don?" She asked after a moment.

"Yeah?" He replied with his eyes still on the road.

"So since we've been one date or whatever...would you want to do it again sometime?"

Don smiled and looked over at her finally, "Are you asking me out on a date Lewis?"

"And if I was?"

"Just wanted clarification." He shrugged, "I'm sure I could make room in my busy schedule for you. Especially if you wear a dress like that.."

She swatted at his arm with a scowl, "Watch it buddy."

"Oh I'm kidding!" He laughed and pushed himself up against the window to try to get away from her hand that was threatening to slap him. "I like that dress actually...a lot," He mumbled. It wasn't his fault that the dress gave him a look at her legs, and it definitely wasn't his fault that those heels she was wearing made her legs look longer than they actually were...

He shook his head, trying to keep his eyes on the road and not on her legs. Emma smiled, nodding her head, "Then yes I am asking you out on another date. Flack."

"Hmm..that means I get to pick what we do." A slightly evil grin crossed his face, oh there were so many things he could do on a date.

"Oh god. Please don't take me back to the shooting range, although that _was_ a lot of fun. And no hockey games!"

"Oh come on! I get to pick damnit." He shook his head, finding a spot to park his car in front of her building. "You'll just have to deal with it because it'll be fun."

There she went chewing on her lip again and the nervous twirling of the hair started up again as he put the car into park. Emma smiled finally and nodded her head, "Fine you can pick. But..one more question."

Don nodded, "Okay, shoot."

Her shoulders raised in another shrug as she looked at him. "What's all this mean? I mean...will this make things weird?"

"Are you asking if our friendship will be weird if we go on a few dates?" He was quiet for a moment before he shook his head. "I don't think it will make anything weird if we don't let it. And hey..if the whole dating thing doesn't work out, we can always laugh and make fun of each other later for it."

Emma laughed and shook her head, "You're such a dork." She leaned over, kissing his cheek gently before pulling back, "Do you want to come up?"

Oh how he did want to come up but he had a feeling if he went up to her apartment on that first date that something else would happen, something neither of them were quite ready for just yet. "Nah I'd better not. I gotta work kind of early." He smiled, "I had a good time tonight Em."

"Me too." She moved to get out of the car, "Thanks for dinner."

"I'll talk to you later."

Don watched as Emma hurried around the front of his car, waving at him before disappearing into her building. He waited a few extra seconds before pulling out onto the street to go to his own home.

* * *

_The Little Corinthian: I'm the same way with getting emotionally involved with fictional characters! I feel the same things they do, which I think is both good and bad? lol_

_sparkyCSI: Always fun when something good pops up in your e-mail! They'll have more than one date too, trust me._

_meadow567: Nope not her. Not yet at least (insert scary music here). No I'm kidding, I'm still deciding on what exactly to do but it should pop up in the next chapter or two._

_truebluepatfan12: I just keep thinking of Flack dressed as Superman when you mention him saving her..lol could be because I'm tired but still, amusing!_

_Princess of Peas: thank you for reading! I'm glad you've gotten attached to her, I was a little worried at how she'd come off when I first started writing this. Also glad you're enjoying the story so far :)_

_AN: seriously I cannot believe I'm almost to Chapter 30. There should be another update sometime later on Sunday once I can get my head around what I want to happen. Plus I'm going to go back and watch a few season 2 episodes (okay...I want my Flack fix, I can admit it). Enjoy the date!_


	29. Chapter 29

_AN: Over 100 reviews yay! That is absolutely amazing. I just have to say a quick 'thank you' to those of you who took a chance on reading this little story of mine. I wasn't sure I would post it or even continue it after the first few chapters so the fact that we're up to chapter 30 almost is so amazing to me. So thanks for reading and sticking around!_

* * *

To say that she was on cloud nine as she walked into her building was probably the understatement of the year. Emma was practically floating as she waited for the elevator. In her eyes the date had been perfect. Sure, at the beginning it was a little awkward and weird to be dating such a good friend of hers but then they got over it and went right into the whole flirting thing. It had felt completely right to her. Of course Emma had no idea what the future would hold for either of them, whether it would be them seperate or together, but for the time being she was happy. 

The elevator dinged and the doors lid open. She stepped out into the hallway, digging through her purse for her keys. Of course she managed to find them at the bottom of her bag and then proceeded to drop the keys on the floor once she'd pulled them out. Emma huffed loudly and bent down, grabbing them before straightening up. Gasping, she stumbled back as she came face to face with the guy who'd been painting in the hallway. She held her hand over her heart as it pounded, laughing a little nervously, "We've just got a habit of running into each other randomly."

He smiled but it didn't quite reach his eyes and Emma was immediately on guard, trying to step around him. Her door was only a few short feet away and she was damn well going to call her landlord when she got inside. The guy was way too creepy, especially since he was lurking around after hours. He moved with her, "I've been waiting for you."

Emma blinked and took another step back from him, at least trying to put some distance inbetween the two of them. Her hand moved into her purse in hopes of reaching her cell phone but he knocked it out of her hand. "What is your problem!" She exclaimed loudly, hoping that if she could draw someone else's attention then this would all be over shortly.

His eyes narrowed and he reached out for her but Emma moved around him quickly, her keys still in her other hand. She thought if she could just reach her door then she could get inside and at least be safe that way. She'd just moved around him enough to have her back to him when he shoved her. Walking in heels took skill anyway but getting knocked off-balance made it even worse. Emma put her hands out in front of her to catch herself but the only thing to catch herself on was the wall, and it wasn't so unforgiving. She hit the wall hard, and probably embarrassingly so but barely had time to think before the guy was pressing himself up against her. Emma opened her mouth to scream but his hand clamped over her mouth before she had a chance to make a sound. The only thought running through her head was that surely _someone_ would hear and at least look out their peephole and see that something was going on. His freehand was wandering but Emma wasn't going to make anything he was going to do easy. She squirmed, twisted and turned, trying to get at something to get away from him. She let out a muffled scream as his hand managed to find its way up her dress, arching her back to get her body as far away from him as she could. Her eyes narrowed, knowing exactly what he was getting at and the more seconds that passed, the more pissed off she got. She was _not_ some helpless damsel in distress. Nor was she about to become one. The man pulled her backwards, starting down the hallway. He was going to try to get her away from her apartment and anyone that might hear anything and Emma knew she was quickly running out of time.

At the same time that she bit down on his hand, she moved one of her feet and managed to stomp down right on top of his. She dug her foot in as hard and as deep as she could, satisifed when she heard him cry out in pain. He released her and Emma took her chance. Scrambling down the hallway, she stumbled but managed to keep herself on her feet as she ran down towards the elevator. She could hear him cursing loudly and knew he was right behind her. Bypassing the elevator completely, she stumbeld for the door that led to the stairwell. It opened after she ran into it, hitting it with her shoulder and her full weight. He was still behind her and she knew she didn't have much time, knowing she'd also be in a world of hurt if he caught her again.

Emma nearly slid down flight after flight of stairs, making as much noise as she possibly could. He was still behind her, still cursing and threatening her as he hurried behind her. She missed the last few steps on the second floor landing and fell hard onto her hands and knees. He got close enough to grab one of her ankles but she kicked at him again, somehow managing to get up and on her feet again. She stumbled down the final flight of stairs and ran out into the main part of the building. There was one night security guard she'd seen over her time living there and she knew where he'd be stationed. She reached his small little station seconds later and was nearly hyperventilating from running and falling all over the place. The security guard was a big, beefy, older man and had hurried out to help her. Emma turned around, pointing in the direction of where she'd just come from. He'd been right behind her, surely he'd come running out and they'd catch him.

But there was no one. She finally managed to get out something the security guard could make out about her being attacked. He immediately called the police and the landlord. He also went to check the stairwell but no one was to be found. Emma was in shock, moreso from the creepy painter guy just disappearing into thin air than anything else. The security guard came back and made her sit down until the police arrived.

* * *

He'd just gotten home, changed out of his suit and was getting ready to crash when his cell phone rang. Normally he wouldn't have answered it, and actually didn't the first time. But the phone began ringing just as soon as it stopped. Don grabbed it off the nightstand, "This had better be important.." 

"Flack, it's Joel--"

"Man I am worn out, can I just call you later? When it's actually daylight out," Don interjected.

"No listen to me-"

Don sighed, sitting down heavily on his bed. He was tired and ready to go to bed already. "Joel it's late. I need to get some sleep before my next shift."

"Damnit Flack, listen to me!" He said loudly.

"What is it then?"

"It's Emma."

Don stopped mid-rant at that, frowning. He'd just left Emma, what could have been wrong. "Uh..okay. What happened?"

"I heard the call-"

"What call!"

"Damnit Flack would you let me finish a fuckin' sentence!"

He was already up and looking around for his shoes and car keys, about ready to head out of his apartment. "What happened?"

"She said some guy attacked her in her building. I heard the call come over the radio."

"Is she okay?"

"She's goin' to the hospital-"

"Damnit Joel," He nearly growled as he pulled a sweatshirt over his head, made sure he had his things and then left the apartment.

"If you'd quit interrupting me that'd help, jackass. She's going to the hospital, Bellevue, just as a precaution. She seemed pretty shook up but we're checking the building. Looks like the guy just disappeared." Joel sighed on the other end, thankful he was able to get a whole sentence out at once.

He didn't realize he was shaking until he was in the elevator, heading downstairs. "Fuck..who was the guy?"

"Like I said she was pretty shook up, she didn't really say. Didn't give a name or anything. But I wanted to call you, let you know what happened."

"Yeah thanks. Keep me up to date on anything, yeah?"

"Of course."

He hung up the phone, slipping it into his pocket as he headed outside again.

"I am not making this up!" She was indignant, staring coldly at the female police officer that was currently asking her questions.

Emma was not happy to be in the hospital, she was especially not happy to be stuck in a hospital gown while her clothes and shoes had been stuffed into a bag for the cops. She'd been checked out completely but the only physical injuries she really had were scrapes on her legs, knees and hands as well as bruises on her arms, back and shoulders. She was now thoroughly pissed off to find herself with a female officer who seemed to think Emma had made the whole thing up.

She sat in the bed, glaring down at her hands, picking at one of the bandages on her hand. She hadn't wanted to go to the hospital but at the insistence of Joel, an old friend of Don's, she agreed to get checked out. Emma had yet to stop shaking or to really come to terms of what had happened, the adrenaline was still coursing through her.

The officer sighed, putting down her notebook. "I can't help you if you don't talk Ms. Lewis."

They both looked up as the curtain moved and Emma thought for a moment that she'd been found by the same guy. But she was more than a little relieved to find it was just Don. But if he was here then that meant someone must have called him. She chewed on her lip, managing a small smile behind it. He flashed his badge to the officer, "I'll take it from here. I'm sure she's been through enough tonight."

"But Detective.."

"Seriously, I'll take it from here," He said sternly.

Emma and Don watched as the officer finally left and then he looked over at her, making his way over to the edge of the bed. "So I can't leave you alone for five seconds, huh?" He was teasing her, really the only way he knew to deal with anything bad between the two of them.

She shrugged her shoulders, ignoring the pull of her muscles. "What can I say, trouble likes to find me."

He smiled some as he sat down on the edge of the bed, "how you doin' kiddo?"

Emma sighed, moving to wrap her arms around his middle before pressing herself as close to him as she possibly could. She needed to feel protected and safe, even if it was for a few seconds or minutes. One of his arms slipped around her and he leaned his chin on top of her head. She closed her eyes before talking, "I don't know what happened...he just disappeared Don."

"Joel called me. God Em, I'm so sorry.."

"For what?"

"Well I should've just walked you to your door."

She shook her head, "Not like you could've known."

"What happened?" Don asked softly.

She pulled back, folding her hands in her lap again. She sighed, "I got out of the elevator and was getting my keys. I nearly ran right into him. He looked all creepy and said he'd been waiting for me?" She shuddered at the memory. "I remembered moving around him to get to my door but he just pushed me up against the wall. I mean, I couldn't even...I couldn't make a noise Don."

He nodded, watching her hands as they started to shake again. He reached down, taking one of her hands in his, lacing their fingers together. "You don't have to go on. But is there anything you can remember about the way he looked?"

"It was the same guy that was painting the hallway in my building." Emma shrugged her shoulders, "But I didn't know his name. I think he had brown eyes?"

"Okay, okay." He kissed her forehead, "you don't have to say anything else, we'll get it all figured out."

She looked up at him, chewing on her lip for a moment. "I do remember something else.."

"What's that?"

"He smelled like paint thinner."

* * *

_Italian Rose: did you like their date? There will be more dates between the two of them (which I can't wait to write about)._

_truebluepatfan12: I do like to think Flack would look hot in tights but...would he really WEAR the tights? He'd probably whine about it..lol _

_sparkyCSI: fluff is good! As for Aiden, that is a very good question. I'm not all the way sure just yet. As it is right now, I think I might stick with the show on that one. But I go back and forth all the time on whether to keep her around or not. Lindsay will definitely be around though eventually. I know there's some people that are anti-Lindsay but I like her! I didn't really get a chance to 'know' Aiden since when I started watching season 2, she'd already been fired so I've been trying to catch up and catch re-runs when I can.  
_

_meadow567: They'd probably get real weird around each other if they went and slept together on the first date (which would'v been interesting to write about...lol)_

_sarramaks: I was nervous about their first date as well but it's only normal to be a tad nervous on the first date ;)_

_The Little Corinthian: dude anyone who has a kid by Flack will be blessed with some good looking kids (especially if they get those eyes!)_

_demolished-soul: I didn't even know I'd reached over 100 reviews until I read yours! That is truely awesome!_

_AN: I didn't want to have Emma be another victim :-x but I think something had to of happened. Now is it REALLY Pratt or another weirdo wandering around?DUN DUN DUN! Chapter 30 will hopefully be posted sometime Monday afternoon/evening. I'm going to try to update as much as I can before my classes this week. _


	30. Chapter 30

_Paint thinner. Paint thinner. Paint fucking thinner._ Those two little words (and okay, sometimes three little words) were running rampant in his head. Don couldn't remember where he'd heard or read it but it was very familiar. Emma was given some sedatives and left to rest for a few hours and while he normally would've stayed with her, the whole paint thinner thing was eating at him. Reluctantly Don left the hospital and headed downtown, talking to Joel on the way. They hadn't found much in the building and somehow with all the racket that had been made, no one heard or saw a thing. The landlord was being questioned about who'd been painting the hallways but so far, no one even had a name. It was like Emma had gotten in a fight with an invisible man.

Rubbing a hand over his face, he headed into the stone building and up the elevator. Don found Danny in one of the labs and knocked on the door, "Hey you got a second?"

Danny took in his friend's rumpled appearance, used to only seeing him around the lab when he was dressed in one of his suits. He nodded and finished up what he was doing before walking over towards him. "Yeah what's going on? I didn't think you were on."

He motioned for him to follow him, leading them down to the breakroom that was empty for the moment. Don sighed, "You got any cases recently that have something to do with paint thinner?"

"Paint thinner?" Danny made a face before shaking his head, "I don't get what you mean."

"Anybody get attacked and report the perp smelled like paint thinner? That kind of stuff."

He frowned for a moment. "I can't think of anything I might've had recently. Oh wait.." He pointed in the direction of his office, "Aiden would be the one to ask. What's going on?"

"Emma was attacked last night."

"What! What the fuck happened?"

Don shrugged his shoulders, "To be honest I have no idea. I dropped her off and then got a call from one of my buddies not an hour later saying she'd been taken to the hospital. She said it was some guy who'd been painting in her building, said he smelled like paint thinner."

Danny shook his head. "Man...that is rough. I think Aiden's still here though, you can ask her."

Don followed him down to their office, finding Aiden seated inside. She smiled when she saw the two men, "Hey guys what's going on?"

Danny leaned against his desk, "What's the M.O. for your rape case?"

Aiden grabbed a folder, flipping it open to the report. "Guy stalks his victims, usually says he's working whereever it is the victim works or lives. He's a painter."

"Fuck." Don pinched the bridge of his nose where a headache was forming, "the vic say anything about paint thinner?"

Aiden nodded, "yeah. Said he smelled like paint thinner. Why?"

Danny sighed, "Emma was attacked last night."

"What!" Aiden exclaimed, "Seriously?"

"Yeah but the guy has just disappeared. There's no trace of him anywhere in her building, the landlord so far has no damn name for the guy. Emma said he smelled like paint thinner," Don elaborated on the story.

She shook her head and stood up, "Is she okay? Did he rape her?"

"Luckily no. But the guy's gonna have a limp thanks to the heels she was wearing."

Aiden smirked a little at that, "Nice." She gathered up the folder, "did they bring in her clothes or anything? I mean, I am assuming someone collected that."

Don shrugged, "I don't know. I've been at the hospital with her so I haven't had a chance to find out much of anything."

She nodded, "I'll find out. Mac might have them and we just hadn't put two-and-two together." She walked past the guys, placing her hand on Don's shoulder, "She'll be okay."

"Yeah." He looked away from them both, he hated feeling like everything was out of control. Especially when it was out of _his _control.

Danny frowned some, crossing his arms over his chest. "Wasn't last night your all's big date?"

"Yes."

His eyes widened some, "Damn. what a way to start out.."

"Yeah thanks." Don shook his head, "I should get back."

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like _that_. Look if you need anything or need any help, give me a call."

He managed a small smile, "Thanks Messer."

"Hey what're friends for and all that junk, right?" He grinned. "Seriously though, call me. We'll keep you updated on anything we find."

"I just want this guy to rot, especially if he's doing it to other people."

Don left and was headed back to the elevators when he saw stopped by a somber looking Mac. "I just heard, Flack."

He nodded, pushing the button for the lobby. "Yeah, keep me updated?"

"Of course. I'll call you as soon as we know anything. Aiden's working on her clothes but either I'll call or Aiden will."

"Thanks Mac," Don said before stepping into the empty elevator.

* * *

Emma had been sleeping so good, and so deep. It was still a fitful and dreamless sleep but at least it was better than being awake and reliving everything over and over again. But then one of the nurses came in and since the sedatives were wearing off, Emma was awake. She was sad to find that Don was nowhere to be found but had a few guesses on where he'd might have gone. Joel, one of his friends, stopped by long enough to give her an update. 

She had no idea how someone could just disappear with no trace but that seems to be what happened. A fake name had been given to the landlord, along with a fake social security card. It seems that Emma was the only one to see the guy, but she was only able to give a vague description.

Shaking her head, she settled back in against the pillows. She'd been discharged but was waiting on Don to get back. Hopefully he'd bring her some clothes since hers had been taken away and there was no way on Earth she was stepping foot outside the hospital wearing a hospital gown. It was frustrating to know what happened and to tell what happened but then find out there's no trace of the attacker. Obviously something happened to her since she couldn't make the bruises and cuts herself.

Emma visibly shuddered, she swore she could feel his hand on her leg again. She shook her head quickly to get rid of the thought and soon the feeling disapated too. She looked up to find Don standing there, holding a few items of clothing. She smiled some, moving to make room on the bed for him. "I was wondering where you'd gone.."

"Thought I left ya?" He was trying to keep everything lighthearted and joking. Even she'd said the night before that she just wanted to forget about it.

She managed to smile just a little, "No not really. Where'd you go?"

"Went to talk to some people." He sat down on the end of the bed like he had the night before, holding out the clothes to her, "I stopped by your place and grabbed you these. Also grabbed some other stuff I thought you'd might need."

"For what?"

"I want you to come stay with me, just for a little bit. And just until you get to feeling better."

She sighed, the last thing she wanted was to be babied. "Don...I'm fine."

He gave her a look and he could tell immediately that she wasn't. "Emma."

"okay okay. Just until I feel better." She was much too tired to argue with him. Emma pushed the blankets down her legs, swinging them over the edge of the bed, "So what did you bring me to wear? I mean, did you at least pick out clothes that match?"

Don laughed, reaching out to steady her as she stood from the bed. "Okay you don't give me enough credit. I do like to think I have some fashion sense."

"Yeah right. In your dreams." She smiled, "I can't wait to put on some real clothes but you are going to have to close your eyes."

"What? A guy can't get a peek?" He yelped when she smacked him in the arm, glaring at her, "Excuse you."

"Close your eyes genius."

He finally did as he was told and even turned his back to her. Don could hear her shuffling around but was nice enough _not_ to look, "so are you all discharged and all that?"

"Yep. I signed the papers a little bit ago." Sighing, he felt the bed shift as she sat back down, "and now I'm all tired again."

He looked back at her with a smile, "Oh so you want to stay here for another night?"

"No." Emma shook her head quickly before moving to stand again, "I am ready to get out of here."

* * *

Don checked on the sleeping Emma one last time before he went back out to his living room, dialing Danny's cell phone number as he sat down. They'd been back at his apartment for a few hours and she'd been asleep for most of the time. He hadn't heard anything from anyone and while no news could be seen as good news, it was driving him up the wall. Danny's cell rang three times before he finally picked up, "I was about to call you." 

"Have you heard anything?"

"No but Mac went over to her building, there's some surveillance tapes he was going to pick up. Aiden's still working on her clothes but..she didn't seem too optimistic, to be honest." Danny sighed, "So how's she doing?"

"She seems okay, all things considered. I'm making her stay with me for awhile."

"You got a cute girl in your apartment and you're talking to me? Damn I feel special Flack."

"Shut it. I'll kick your ass later."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Look I gotta get back to work but I'll call you when I find out anything, all right?"

Don sighed as he slouched down on the couch, "Yeah man. I'll talk to you later." Once they'd said their goodbyes he tossed his phone onto the coffee table and stretched his legs out in front of him. His own exhaustion was catching up to him and while normally he'd go crawl in next to Emma, he just wasn't sure if he was supposed to now after everything that had happened.

His questions were answered for him when his bedroom door opened and out came a very sleepy looking Emma. She'd changed into a pair of his sweatpants, which were way too long and way too big on her, and one of his t-shirts that was also too big on her. He looked back at her, smiling some before he stood up, "hey what're you doin' up?"

She shrugged her shoulders, covering a yawn. "I don't know, just woke up. Sit down, sit down. I can walk the few feet from your room to the couch without assistance."

He sat back down, watching as Emma sat down next to him and yawned again. "How are you feeling?"

Emma shrugged again, "Okay. I think? I don't know." Laughing, Emma leaned her head back on the couch, "yes I am very confused. You don't have to say anything."

He grinned, holding his hands up. "I won't say a word."

"Have you heard anything?" She asked after a moment.

"Not yet. Just talked to Danny though, he said Mac was on his way to your building to pick up some surveillance tapes."

"Well you definitely don't sound too positive about that." She pushed herself up off the couch, "I'm going to get something to drink."

Don groaned, leaning his head back as far as he could to watch her. "Em it's just gonna take some time."

"It'd help if I didn't feel like people were looking at me like I'm some freak!" Emma tugged up on the sweatpants as they slipped down...again, growling under her breath, "and damnit do you have to buy your clothes so damn big?"

He laughed at that, turning around fully on the couch. "I don't know, I think you look pretty cute in my clothes Em."

She rolled her eyes before she opened the fridge, "can we watch a movie or something until I get tired again?"

"Sure. Grab me a beer and we'll camp out here for awhile."

Emma did so and came back over to the couch. She sat down closer to him this time, eventually taking the opportunity to curl up at his side. Don took the beer from her and opened it, taking a drink before setting it aside. He slid his arm around her shoulders, a little surprised when he felt her tense up. She pulled back for a moment to grab the remote, flipping through a few of the channels before she settled against his side again. "You know, it's really annoying that I like...can't even get comfortable when you put your arm around my damn shoulders," She grumbled as she handed him the remote.

"It's okay to be a little gun shy, you know. It's normal."

Emma sighed softly, "Yeah well I don't like it. It sucks."

"I know." He turned his head, kissing the top of hers, "it'll be okay though. And if you need to rant and rave or anything then I'll be here for you. As long as you don't come at me while you're wearing heels..."

She smiled, biting her lip, "you know I didn't even think when I did it. I just stomped as hard as I could and hoped I'd get away."

Don nodded as he listened. He could really only imagine what it had to be like but he was glad it hadn't turned out worse than it could've. The situation could've gone so many ways but he'd rather have her a little bruised and cut up than lying in a morgue somewhere. "I should've walked you to your door," He said softly.

Emma pulled back some to look up at him, "Don.."

"No I'm serious. That guy wouldn't have gotten ahold of you if I'd walked you upstairs.."

"Don't play the 'what if' game, please? I just got a little beat up but I want to forget about it and move on.."

He sighed after a moment before nodding, knowing that in her own time that she'd talk about it. "Okay, okay."

"Know what though?"

"Uh oh," He smiled some. "What?"

"I do think you owe me another date...I'll even let you walk me home."

* * *

_SparkyCSI: I'm a big believer in DL too, seriously the tension between those two on the show is ridiculous. I want to just shove them together already. It's definitely not in Emma's character to be too much of a victim, though I do think she'll have a few repurcussions._

_ItalianRose: thank you! Next chapter should be up Tuesday late or Wednesday afternoon._

_demolished-soul: I honestly cannot believe I have over 100 reviews. It might have made me squeal like a fangirl ;) _

_The Little Corinthian: oh you are not the only one going insane. And I cannot wait for season 3 to start already, although re-runs have been working! I'm just glad my other favorite show (Lost!) does not come on when CSI:NY does, we'd be in trouble then :-x_

_truebluepatfan12: He'll save her in his own way, even if he wasn't there to save the day._

_meadow567: okay I was thinking he always smelled like paint thinner but I wasn't totally sure if I imagined that or it actually happened on the show! Whew lol. And believe me, if she could've gotten around to it she probably would've knee'ed him!_

_bubble-rogue08: did you try to post a song/song link? If so, it didn't come through! I just got the review itself. _


	31. Chapter 31

It was strange how fast some bruises healed and disappeared. Some things were easy to forget while others still played heavily in one's mind. That was what Emma was finding the most difficult about this whole attack thing. Her bruises and physical injuries seemed to heal almost as quick as they appeared. But it was the mental part of it all that she was having trouble with. She'd practically moved in with Don, and it was going on two weeks since she was attacked in her building. She'd gone back to her apartment a few times, always during the day, and she'd tried to stay one night there but just ended up back at Don's in the middle of the night. Every little sound freaked her out, it didn't matter if it was a car horn honking in the middle of the street like she heard day in and day out. It startled her, causing a chain reaction in her body. Her heart would begin to pound, her hands would start to feel clammy and she'd be in full blown panic attack mode before she could really think about it enough to calm herself down. It had been two weeks but she was quickly becoming a hermit.

Don didn't mind her being in his apartment, he actually preferred it. But he knew she was having a tough time dealing with it all, even though it wasn't a necessarily bad assault it was still enough to scare her. She would never admit it, of course she was way too stubborn for that, but he could see the flashes of fear pass through her eyes. Even when they were out in public, with the crowds on the sidewalks. She'd bump into someone (or vice versa) and then start clinging to Don's arm like he was life support. He'd tried to get her to talk; to him, to her mom, to a therapist but Emma refused. She was convinced she could get through it all without anyone's help.

She had rarely been at work since the attack, preferring to stay within the confines of the apartment. She'd quickly learned that being by herself while he was at work, was really boring. She'd watched every soap opera and talk show in existance, finding a little solace in other people's dramatic lives. She had even gone over every inch of his apartment, cleaning it from top to bottom. Emma had no idea how one guy could accumulate so much dust but Don definitely did. She was also beginning to feel like some sort of housewife; cooking and cleaning for Don when he'd be home for actual meals. He teased her about being stuck in the kitchen all day but she was secretly pleased when he liked whatever she happened to make. They hadn't gone on their second date yet, mostly because Don didn't have time.

He still hadn't brought up the fact that Emma's attacker might be the same guy running around New York raping women. Nothing that could be used as evidence had been found on her clothing, though a surveillance tape had revealed a man meeting the suspect's description entering and exiting the building more than once. He'd debated about whether or not to tell Emma but she was freaked out enough as it was, it couldn't hurt to keep one little thing from her right? Aiden was working overtime on the case still, the guy just kept slipping through the cracks and getting off on small technicalities. They had no real evidence to put him in Emma's building at the time of the attack even though he matched the description and they had no concrete evidence that he was the one raping women in New York.

Since Emma had temporarily moved in Don had found himself being more careful about things he hadn't before. He actually picked up his clothes after discarding them randomly, he cleaned up after himself and made sure to put the dishes in the sink instead of leaving them on the counter like usual. All of that was mostly because he didn't want Emma to know he was a complete slob. Obviously she knew that already but she didn't have to see it firsthand. He'd gotten used to her being there when he got off of a long shift, usually curled up on the couch watching some horribly cheesy movie. She usually had cooked, leaving plenty of leftovers from him. He'd begun to tease her about being married, enjoying when she turned a very cute shade of pink as he embarrassed the hell out of her. Those moments when she was laughing, smiling or joking around with him were the best. The fear disappeared and she was back to her old self, but it was only a matter of time before something startled her and she got the scared look about her again.

* * *

That afternoon found her making her way down the street, slowly but surely. Don had called earlier, telling her to meet him at the precinct at the end of his shift so they could grab a bite to eat. She guessed this was their second date, although hopefully it wasn't going to end like the first one did. But the panic was starting to take over as she walked through the crowds. She'd always been amazed at how at any time of day the sidewalks were crowded with people. Normally she enjoyed it but now she felt like everyone was staring at her, wondering if maybe _he_ was watching her and waiting to attack again. In the back of Emma's mind, she knew she had to get over this irrational fear of going out in public. It was stupid and ridiculous.Who knew how many great things she was missing by sitting inside all the time? She'd started to protest when he told her to meet him at work but he wouldn't hear of it. Needless to say, Emma didn't put up much of a fight. 

He was waiting out on the front steps of the precinct, his hands at his sides as he scanned the crowds for the brunette he knew would be looked slightly nervous and anxious. Don had been a little surprised when Emma agreed to meet him, knowing she was dealing with a little bit of social anxiety at the moment. But he knew one of the only ways for her to get over it was to get her out and about a bit. And what better way than to go out on a date?

Don smiled when he caught sight of her in the crowd. She didn't see him, Emma was too busy looking around at everyone else. He could tell she was nervous, she was holding onto her purse like it was going to disappear if she let up on her hold on it even a little. "C'mon Em..," He mumbled, watching her carefully.

She'd nearly shrunk up against the exterior of the buildings she passed, hoping to disappear into them so no one would look at her or anything. Her heart was pounding so loud that she was sure the whole city could hear it. Emma was startled when a man bigger and taller than her ran into her, causing the two of them to bump shoulders. It was something small that usually would happen without either party saying or doing anything. Emma froze in the middle of the sidewalk, her grip on her purse tightening. For a moment she thought it was the same guy, attempting to do something to her again. But she managed to relax a little when she looked up at the guy, seeing it was just an older guy dressed in a business suit. She mumbled an apology and kept moving, intent on getting to her destination.

Don was close enough to see the guy bump into Emma and he frowned, half-expecting her to turn around and disappear back in the direction of his apartment. "Oh Emma..come on, just keep going," He mumbled again. He was well aware that he was talking to himself, knowing if some of the guys caught him doing so they'd probably make him go see the on-site psychiatrist.

He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding when he saw her start moving again. Stepping down from the last step he smiled as she approached him, "I was wondering when you'd show up.."

Emma laughed softly, shaking her head as she came to a stop in front of him. "Shut up or no date for you."

He grinned and slung his arm around her shoulders. Don was immensely proud of her for making it all the way to the precinct. It was slow progress but least it was progress. Maybe she was on the mend just a little. "Then I'd have to kick you out...wait a minute, then I'd quit having meals cooked for me. Nevermind, you're staying forever."

"Please! You'll get sick of me!" She laughed as the two of them started walking, "so where are we going?"

"Dinner because I am starving. Maybe...grab a movie.." He shrugged, "We'll do whatever you want to do."

* * *

It was somewhere around 3 a.m. that night when something woke her up. Emma was startled out of a pretty decent sleep; her heart was doing the whole pounding thing and she was sure something bad was happening. Groaning softly, she fell back against the pillows. She'd taken to sleeping in Don's bed after sleeping on his couch for a couple of nights. He'd tried to just get her to sleep in his room with him, insisting that they were both adult enough to do nothing but sleep. But she'd insisted on sleeping on the couch, until a nightmare woke her up and scared her so badly that she snuck into the bed with him. Now it was just normal for them to sleep together. 

Her hands rubbed at her face before she looked over, surprised to find a pair of blue eyes looking back at her. Emma smiled a little apologetically, turning on her side towards him, "did I wake you?"

She _had_ woken him up but Don shook his head, "No. Are you okay?"

"Oh yeah, yeah I'm fine." She nodded before moving to sit up, pulling the blankets up around her knees. Emma smiled again, reaching up with one hand to push her hair out of her face. "And I _did_ wake you up, don't lie. I just...something I guess woke me up."

Yawning, Don leaned up on his arm, squinting to see her better in the darkness, "Emma.."

"It wasn't a damn nightmare so don't ask if it was," she grumbled before looking down at her hands.

He laughed softly before grabbing her around the waist and pulling her down on the mattress next to him. "I wasn't going to. I figure if you want to talk about it, you'll bring it up first. Just lay down."

She squirmed for a moment before getting comfortable enough to settle down against him. She was fully expecting him to unwrap his arms from around her but he stayed where he was. After a few long moments Emma was sure he'd fallen back asleep but glancing over her shoulder, she found the blue eyes still looking back at her. "What?"

"Nothing?" He pulled back just a little, keeping his arms around her but lying back on the pillows more.

"You were staring at me!"

"And what if I was?" He asked, grinning just a little.

Emma rolled her eyes but looked away from him, "nothin' I guess."

He sighed before moving closer to her, resting his chin against her arm. "I worry about you, you know."

"There's no reason to-"

"Yes there is Emma. You don't sleep, you lock yourself in my apartment the second I leave. I just want you to be okay.."

She closed her eyes tightly. "I know. And I want that too. I'll be fine."

"I know." He kissed her shoulder gently before smiling some, "hey I did get you out this afternoon at least."

A hint of a smile crossed Emma's face and she nodded, turning her head to look at him. "Yeah I did do pretty good today."

He laughed softly, "We'll have to go out again. Maybe get Aiden to come along, I know she's been worried about you too."

"You all worry too damn much," She mumbled.

Don's arms tightened around her and she eventually relaxed back against him, her eyes closing slowly. "Get some sleep, you can gripe about us worrying too much later," He said quietly. He was exhausted as it was and knew he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep unless she did the same.

She nodded again, sighing softly. "I think I can sleep now since you're playin' bodyguard and all.."

He smiled but didn't say anything, just listening as Emma's breathing finally slowed and deepened, meaning she was finally back asleep. It took him a little longer for him to get back to sleep but only because he was thoroughly enjoying having her in his arms. They still weren't anything official and had only been on their second date together but, he kind of hoped it was going to lead to something more in the future.

* * *

_AN: Seriously, my classes need to quit sucking my muse up and away for the entire week. It also needs to quit making me feel like I need to write reaaally late at night! I'm hoping to get a few more chapters out during this long weekend (no work on Monday, yay!) so hopefully it won't feel so long between updates from now on :-x. Enjoy!  
_

_demolished-soul: I did get awfully attached to Aiden from the few episodes I saw her in (before she was fired). She should appear in a couple more chapters, at least the way it's going in my head so far she'll be in a few more chapters.  
_

_truebluepatfan12: Protectiveness can be a good thing. Over-protectiveness gets annoying :-x lol but I know what you mean!  
_

_bubble-rogue08: I'll have to look around for that song later! This chapter I was switching between listening to the new Killers song and also Christina Aguilera's song (there were also some other weird songs thrown on my playlist at the time..lol), thanks for the song suggestion though, I'll definitely search around for it later on._

_meadow567: from what I've read about the new season fo Lost, that IS why they're not starting until October. They're doing something weird where they're showing 6 or so new episodes, then it goes on hiatus and they come back and show the rest of the new episodes. I'm not sure how it'll work out but last season was a tad ridiculous with the re-runs. I wasn't a big fan of season 2, there were only a few good episodes (in my opinion). That and I hated how they dealt with Ana-Lucia and Libby (I was an Ana-Lucia fan lol, probably the only one!)._

_sarramaks: haha gotta give Flack some way to get in good with Emma lol_

_LegallyBrunette8: new reviewer? YAY! thanks for reading! I'm the same way you are with OC-characters. I've only found a few stories (in any fandom) where I really like the OC characters. _

_The Little Corinthian: Yes I am a Project Runway fan too (I loved Alison this season though!) so I flip back and forth and then usually watch the rerun of PR at midnight lol Have you seen the CSI: NY trailer up at I saw it last night and while it's short, it made me more than a little excited for the season. I've heard a few rumors here and there so I don't know what to think about it :-x _

_sparkyCSI: I'll try to start updating earlier just for you ;) For some reason I've been getting in the writing mood really late at night, which is bad when I have to get up for class or work the next morning lol But nope you made perfect sense, my dear!_


	32. Chapter 32

Another few days passed before Emma finally got up enough courage to spend the night at her apartment. It was going to be weird and probably a little uncomfortable but she needed to do it, if only for her own sanity. Not that she wasn't thankful that she had a place to stay with Don or that she didn't enjoy his company, because she did. But it was time for her to get back to some semblance of normalcy in her own life and that meant going back to her own place and going back to work. Don was a little sad to see her go since he'd gotten used to her being there when he left for his latest shift and when he got home. He'd gotten used to her cooking and having lunch and/or dinner already planned out. And sadly, his apartment had never been so clean.

Her first night in her apartment was spent on pins and needles. Every little noise and sound seemed to make her jump, as if the door was going to bust down and there would be the guy who attacked her. Of course the door never did. Of course it wasn't like the city was going to be completely silent so it was pretty silly of her to be as nervous as she was. Her building had hired more security and was apparently going to be putting up more surveillance cameras in the near future. Emma figured her landlord was terrified of her suing him but it was good that there were more precautions being taken for the sake of the whole building, not just her. After a few hours of checking and re-checking the lock on the door, she finally felt like she could relax enough to sleep. She tossed and turned for another hour before being able to actually _fall_ asleep, but it was a pretty fitful and dreamless sleep.

The next day dawned bright and early for Emma, thanks to the aforementioned fitful and dreamless sleep. She was up and out of bed before her alarm could go off; and she was dressed and out the door almost a full hour before she had to be at work. Emma stuck to her normal route, including taking the subway. It was a little nervewracking to be by herself but obviously, she was going to have to do it sooner or later so she might as well get it over with. Her knuckles had turned white from the grip she had on her purse and stayed that way until after she was safely inside the building.

Luisa was working by herself that morning and nearly tackled Emma with her hug. She pulled back, holding her by the shoulders, "oh look at you. I'm so glad you're back, I mean you're back right?"

Emma laughed, it was nice to be thrown back into work and see someone with a slightly un-biased look on it all. She nodded, "I'm fine and I'm definitely back. I've been kind of spastic, I guess but I'm sog lad to be back."

Luisa pulled back, keeping her arm around Emma's shoulders. "Good, I'm glad to have you back. Marianne has been driving me up the wall without you around. I've missed my one ally around here. Are you..okay and all that? I mean, you obviously don't have to go into details if you don't want to."

"I don't think I want to go into detail but I think I am on the way to be okay." Emma nodded with a small smile, she really just wanted to get back to work and into the swing of things. The last thing she wanted was to have to re-hash everything again. But Luisa understood and wouldn't push or make her talk unless she wanted to.

* * *

The morning went by fairly slowly but Emma was just glad to be back in her normal routine. There was an art show coming up in the next week so she was busy doing the menial task of addressing and stuffing envelopes. It wasn't the most exciting job but her and Luisa had even played rock, paper, scissors to decide who would do it. She was sitting at the desk at the front of the store stuffing the envelopes and greeting the few customers that had come in, in the time she'd been there. She could hear Luisa in the back talking on the phone to someone but other than that, it had been pretty quiet. 

Emma looked up as the door opened and smiled, a little surprised to see Aiden walking inside. "Long time no see," She said as she finished addressing another envelope, setting it in the pile at the front of the desk.

Aiden smiled, "I know, it's been awhile! What's going on? I heard this was your first day back."

She nodded, "Yeah it's been nice to get back into working and stuff." She stood up, grabbing another chair and pulling it up for Aiden to sit down. "So is there anything on the case? Unless this is just a personal call."

Aiden laughed as she took the seat, "Probably half and half. I did want to see how you were doing, since it _has_ been awhile. Flack's been keepin' you to himself."

"He has not!" Emma shook her head with a laugh, "I just kinda halfway moved in with him until I could get up enough guts to go home."

"Hey that's understandable." She sat back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other, "I think I'd feel like you if the same thing happened to be."

"Yeah." Emma chewed on her lower lip for a moment, "So..anything pop up?"

"Well..I've been working this rape case for the past little bit. I'm thinking it's the same guy that attacked you. Same M.O., same description, same everything. It's just nailing him to the wall."

She sighed, rubbing her forehead, "But you can't get him on...assault or whatever?"

"Not really. Believe me, we've tried. He seems to slip right through the cracks on some technicality. But I'm going to do what I can to get him Emma, I do want you to know that," Aiden said.

Emma nodded, "I know you will. But how come Flack didn't tell me any of this?"

"I think he was...afraid." She shrugged at the question, not really having an answer. Don tended to do things his own way sometimes and no one really understood his reasons. "I don't really know. He can be weird about things like that, maybe he was hoping to get this all settled before telling you. But I can't really answer for him."

She let out another sigh, "I guess I can understand...but if he knew all this, it would've been nice for him to clue me in. Instead of letting me run around like an idiot."

"I don't think you were running around like an idiot. I think he was just protecting you, seriously." Aiden shook her head, "Don't get all pissed off at him."

Emma laughed, "I'll try not to get too mad. But I am a little...annoyed, I think."

"Well you might be allowed to feel like that, especially with everything going on." Aiden smiled before standing up, "Give a girl a call sometime. We need to go out, have some fun."

"I'd like that. It's gotta be better than hanging around a smelly guy all day long.."

Aiden laughed, "I hear you on that one, trust me. I'll see you around Em."

She watched as Aiden left, the door swinging shut behind her. Emma wasn't really mad persay, but she was annoyed. Annoyed that Don hadn't felt the need to tell her any of the details surrounding the case, whether she was going to be involved or not. She shook her head and tried to go back to the envelopes, knowing they needed to be done. But this time around she was moving a lot slower while doing it. If this guy had attacked before, that meant Emma was next on his list. That meant that Emma had come within seconds of being raped or maybe even murdered. That didn't settle too well with her but it also didn't settle too well with her that this guy was still running around. Grabbing the desk phone, she pushed a few buttons before holding the phone up to her ear. It went to voicemail after a couple of rings and she groaned under her breath before sitting up more at the desk. "So I need to talk to you about some things...so call and leave a message on my phone. Let me know when you get home. Thanks." She hung up after leaving the message, putting the phone back into its cradle.

* * *

_AN: Uhh so yeah..I meant to update more over this weekend but had trouble getting anything to come out (that wasn't total crap), so I apologize for the wait! I'm a tad hopped up on caffeine at the moment so I'm going to get started on the next chapter and hopefully post it tonight.  
_

_The Little Corinthian: Yeess I did catch the Danny/Lindsay moment. My friend saw it the night after I did so I got a lovely e-mail full of "OMG!" lol I can't wait to see this season, and see how it's grown from the 1st and 2nd seasons (though I've only seen a few episodes from the 1st season). I'm counting down the days!_

_truebluepatfan12: I think you're right about Flack and the protectiveness issue. He won't be like that too-too much, only because it'll get on Emma's nerves lol_

_bubble-rouge08: I actually found the song this afternoon while I was looking around! I think it fits perfectly and it's now added to my CSI:NY mix on the evil electronic known as the iPod ;)_

_demolished-soul: Just a little bit of agoraphobia but no, I don't think it'll completely overtake her life. _

_meadow567: thanks! Do you frequent any Lost boards on the Internet? Man, some of those people had issues with Ana-Lucia lol I hope the 3rd season is better than the 2nd though._

_sparkyCSI: Writing during this long weekend kind of happened and kind of didn't! I'd sit down and be like "okay I need to write", then nothing would come out. I think my muse went away for Labor Day or something. Has yours come back? lol and psh they gotta get to dating exclusively before they get to the married stuff!_

_ilovemygelding: thank you! _


	33. Chapter 33

She stomped down the hallway, well aware of how loud and annoying she was being. It was late, sometime around midnight, but he'd finally returned her phone call and this was the only time they'd see each other for the next little while. Emma banged on the door and crossed her arms over in front of her, waiting for him to answer. It felt like it was taking forever but finally she heard the lock turn and the door opened. There stood Don, out of his usual work suit and instead dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt which meant he was probably getting ready to go to bed. He sighed but opened the door wider to let her in, "I have a feeling I'm gonna get yelled at.."

"Damn right. Why didn't you tell me any details?" Emma started in as soon as she was inside his apartment fully.

"Emma.." He rubbed at his face, it was really too late to be doing this. "It's not that I _didn't _want to tell you but I can't exactly go into many details about any case with you."

She stomped her foot like a good five year old would, "Flack it involves me!"

Uh oh, he was in trouble if she was calling him by his last name. He was used to other people calling him that but it always seemed a bit shocking when Emma called him that. He was used to her calling him by his first name. "I know it involves you but I still couldn't tell you anything. I can't tell you the guy's name or anything."

Emma crossed her arms in front of her, looking defiant. "Yeah well that really sucks. That guy's just out there running around! What if he comes back? He knows where I live!"

"He's not going to come back. Your building has stepped up security and we've got patrol cars sticking around." Don ran a hand through his hair, leaning heavily against the back of the couch.

"That's not good enough," She grumbled before looking down at her feet.

"Well what do you want me to do about it? I can't go into many details, I've already told you that. You're protected. You think I'd let you go back to your apartment if I didn't think you'd be safe?" He pushed away from the couch and walked over towards her, "You've gotta calm down.."

She looked up at him, chewing on her lip. "Why can't you just arrest the guy and shove him in a cell somewhere?"

"Because for some reason, the evidence isn't _there_. Not yet. Aiden has been working around the clock though." He put his hands on her shoulders and bent down enough to where he could see eye to eye with her, "I wouldn't let a damn thing happen to you."

"Yeah but..." She sighed, "it's just nervewracking okay?"

"I know. But seriously, I would've tied you down to a chair if I thought it was un-safe for you to go back to your place." Don leaned in to kiss her forehead, "So don't yell at me. I'm not the bad guy."

Another sigh from Emma. "I know you're not." She was looking down at her feet although he could tell she wasn't nearly as mad as she'd been when she first arrived at his door. "I just don't want him to come back," She said quietly.

Don slipped his arms around her back, pulling her into his chest. She tensed for a moment but he was a little thankful when he felt her arms snake around him finally. "He's not going to come back."

"How do you know?"

He sighed loudly, of course he _didn't_ know but he was trying to reassure her. "All right...I don't know that he won't come back but I, personally, don't think he will."

She felt a little silly about all of this. She'd been mad at him for not telling her anything but now that she knew a tad more about everything, now she was ready to play the role of damsel in distress! Emma nodded and pulled back some, reaching up with one of her hands to try to tame her hair that she was sure looked like a rat's nest or something. "I don't know if he'd come back or not, I think it's just the thought of him being near my building again that freaks me out."

"Well...you could always stay here?" He grinned some at her.

Emma laughed; he'd only want her around to cook and clean for him. "Yeah right. Hire a housekeeper Don."

"I don't know, you're much cuter to have around." He shrugged, "Seriously though you can crash here tonight if you want."

"No, I need to be at home." She smiled as she reached out and grabbed a hold of his arm, tugging him forward again before hugging him tightly, "thanks though."

"Oh no need for thanks, I should be used to being your punching bag by now."

"I didn't even hit you!"

He rolled his eyes, "It was meant to be a figure of speech. Now are you going or staying, because I need to sleep."

"I'm going, I'm going." Emma turned to go to the door and pulled it open. He was following her, leaning against the door as she stepped into the hallway.

As much as he knew she was safe in her apartment and as much as he knew she could take care of herself, Don was still a little apprehensive about her going home on her own. "Call me when you get in, okay?"

She raised an eyebrow, "I thought you had to sleep?"

"I do. But it's late, you're going home alone." The way he said it made it sound like it should be very obvious to her.

"Because I'm a woman?"

Don rolled his eyes again, "You're trying to pick an argument with me. It's not gonna work, as cute as I think you are when you get all pissed off."

"You think I'm cute?" She asked.

He groaned, almost banging his head against the door. "Emma. Of course I think you're cute. Hell, I think you're hot. Now are you going home or not?"

She grinned a little before shrugging her shoulders. "I dunno, this conversation has taken a turn for the more interesting.."

"Put it like this, I wouldn't want to keep going out with you if I wasn't attracted to you."

"Well duh. We do have to be attracted to one another, I'd think."

"Emma." Don laughed before grabbing her hand. He pulled her forward, enjoying the way her eyes widened and she nearly stumbled over her two feet. She opened her mouth to either yell at him or ask what he was doing but he did the next best thing to answering her. Don finally kissed her.

In the future, if someone asked Emma what her first major kiss with Don was like, she'd tell them that it was like she couldn't breathe. She'd been ready to yell at him for nearly making her trip like an idiot and then suddenly they were kissing. Of course this was something they'd both actually remember seeing as neither was even the slightest drunk or tipsy. Everything had seemed to disappear and all that was left was them. His hands eventually cupped her face and he pulled back just a little bit. She dared to open her eyes, her dark ones meeting his blue ones. She was sure she saw a slight smirk on his face but it was gone as soon as she'd spotted it. Don pressed another kiss against her lips before he took a full step back, "yeah we're gonna have to definitely do that again.."

She laughed, "Excuse me? And what if I don't _want_ to do that again?"

There was the smirk again, a full-fledged one that she was sure was full of promise and mischief. "Oh, you want to do it again. I can tell."

"What? How can you tell!" She put her hands on her hips, ready for whatever probably-sexist remark he was about to give.

But she didn't get that, instead she got another grin from him and a shake of his head before he stepped back and closed the door. Emma's jaw dropped open and she thought for a moment about knocking on the door loudly. But she didn't even though she could hear him laughing. Instead she glared at the door for another moment before mumbling, "Oh you'll pay for that one mister."

Emma left then, making her way back towards her apartment. The streets were dark and it was late but a lot of people were still out. She didn't mind or even think of the attack or attacker. She was, however, steaming over the fact that Don could just kiss her and pull away like that. He had been right about one thing, she _did_ want to do that again. And preferably with him.

* * *

_AN: You all hate me yet? Ahem. Might update with another chapter tonight if my muse doesn't make a disappearance on me..again. Got your all's lovely reviews too,just don't have time to reply right now but I'll get to them! _


	34. Chapter 34

It was hard to keep his mind on the stack of papers sitting on his desk, waiting for his scrawl of a signature. It didn't help that the precinct was more loud than usual, perps being dragged in from the streets. A lot seemed to be falling down drunk which was sort of entertaining from time to time. Those papers needed to be signed off on and he had other things he should've been doing but damnit, _she_ was stuck in his head.

A few days had passed since Don and Emma had kissed. He'd been working longer hours and knew she'd been busy too so that didn't leave a lot of time for them to spend time together, let alone have an actual conversation. They'd played phone tag but even those short messages held little to no substance. He knew (as much as he didn't want to) that they'd have to talk eventually. It wasn't that he regretted kissing her because Lord knows he'd been wanting to do it for weeks, if not months, now. He just didn't know where they stood. They'd been on two or three dates, did that mean they were dating exclusively? Did the kiss mean they were? Or did he have to do the whole asking thing? Those questions and more were really distracting him, and it didn't help when he looked up and found himself actually looking at _her_. Somehow she'd come into the madness of the NYPD and everything had seemed to stop around him.

Okay and it didn't hurt that she was wearing a short black dress either.

Don started to rack his brain, trying to remember if him and Emma had plans that night. Nothing was popping up that he could remember but sometimes he did seem to have short term memory problems so it was possible that they did and he was just an idiot who forgot. Oh God, she'd kill him if he forgot! After all, the mountain of paperwork in front of him wasn't getting any smaller. With Don's luck, he'd be doing paperwork until he was at least 50 at the rate he was going.

But Emma just walked up to the desk and perched herself up on the corner of it. He raised an eyebrow, still slightly distracted by the amount of leg she was showing in that dress. "Did I forget something?" He asked finally.

"Nope." She shook her head with a grin, "Why, think you did?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. Not very often a hot chick shows up at my desk like this." He put the paper down he'd been reading over, folding his hands together on top of the desk, "so what brings you by?"

"Oh! I'm meeting Stella and Aiden, we're going out."

"Out?" Out. She was going out. With Stella and Aiden. Uh oh, they were either going to grill her on their supposed relationship or hunt for other guys. Emma hunting for other guys didn't sit well with him. Jealousy sure was a bitch.

She nodded, "Yeah we're going out. Some art show Stella got an invite to. It should be nice."

It sounded pretty boring to Don but he guessed that was why Emma was going and not him. "Sounds fun," He said instead.

Emma laughed and moved to stand off the desk, "You think it sounds stupid."

"Not my thing, that's for sure." He smiled, "You look...great."

"Oh this old thing?" She laughed again as she tried not to turn an attractive shade of pink, "thanks Don."

"Now you know you're gonna have to wear that or something like it next time we go out." He sat back in his chair, narrowing his eyes when he caught one of the other detectives eyeing Emma suggestively. He gave the guy a dirty look and he finally looked away. Jealousy was _definitely_ a bitch.

Emma watched his eyes carefully, thoroughly enjoying the way he looked like he was about to go over-protective bodyguard on her. She might have purposefully chose the little black dress and _might_ have insisted on meeting Aiden and Stella there instead of at the show itself. Oh yes, payback was also a bitch and this was only the beginning.

"Oh I am? Why do you say that?" She asked as she reached down to straighten out the material of the dress. It'd been an impulse buy earlier that day but she had wanted to look nice. And okay, she did want to show off in front Don a little bit. It wasn't so short that it was indecent and pretty much covered anything else she didn't want the world to see. The air in the city was still cool but she'd brought along a jacket, knowing she'd probably need it that night.

He smiled, leaning forward on the desk some, "Because I think you need to wear dresses like that more often."

"Why? So you can show me off?"

Don shrugged his shoulders, "Yeah pretty much." He laughed softly as he stood, walking around the desk to her, "I haven't seen you in awhile you know."

"Aw did you miss me?" Emma leaned into him some as he slipped his arm around her shoulders, both of them starting to walk towards the doors that led to the outside.

"I don't know, I mean there was this other woman I met...real cute brunette and everything.."

She elbowed him even though she knew he was only teasing. "Just for that I'm going to go find me a hot date tonight."

Don pushed the door open with his free hand, letting her walk out in front of him. He grinned some, "yeah..in a dress like that I could see why you might find a hot date."

She glanced at her watch before pulling her jacket around her. Aiden and Stella would be showing up in a few minutes but she was glad to be out of the bustling precinct for the time being. "You sound a little jealous Don."

"I am not jealous." He put his hands into his pant pockets, rocking back on his feet some. Of course he would be jealous if she ended up finding someone of the male persuasion to spend time with but, not like he could actually admit to it or anything.

Emma just gave him a look but let it drop for the time being. "If you say so," She smiled. "So back to you showing me off.."

"Uh oh..am I in for it now?"

"No!" She reached out to punch his arm, "Don't be a jerk."

Don held up his hands in defense before shaking his head. "Not being a jerk."

She moved to stand next to him, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jacket. "There's a show my gallery is putting on in two weeks. Would you maybe want to come with me? I mean, yeah it'll be slightly boring and I'll probably be running around like a chicken with its head cut off but...yeah, shutting up now."

"Yeah sure I'll tag along." He grinned when he saw Aiden and Stella come out of the doors, whistling under his breath. "Well I just have to say, you all do clean up nicely.."

Aiden rolled her eyes but was smiling as she wrapped her own coat around her, "Yeah yeah keep sucking up Flack."

Stella laughed behind her, "I do have to say we _do_ clean up pretty well. I mean, not like we haven't spent the whole day around dead bodies and other nasty things."

"No details please," Emma said before making a face.

Aiden shook her head, "Yeah you don't wanna know. We probably need to get going though, we're fashionably late as it is."

Stella walked down a few steps, glancing back at the other two women, "We do need to make an entrance after all."

Aiden was right behind her, waving at Don, "See ya later Flack!"

Emma smiled up at Don before moving to follow the two women. "You probably need to get back to work.."

"Yeah just because you three are gonna go have fun, rub it in that I gotta go work," He grumbled, bending enough to kiss her cheek. "Have fun."

"Want me to call you later?"

"Not if you meet some handsome stranger, then I might be heartbroken and all that." Don grinned but nodded his head, "yeah if you want to."

Aiden was standing near the curb where a cab was waiting for them, her hands on her hips. "Emma come on!"

Emma laughed and with one last look to him, she disappeared down the steps and into the back of the cab.

* * *

Stella handed Emma a glass of champagne, having caught one of the waiters as he made his way around the room carrying a tray. Aiden had disappeared a few minutes before and both had lost track of her for the time being. Emma took a sip as she looked around the room the show was being held in. It was a pretty small art show but a lot of the paintings hanging had gotten Emma's attention. The art nerd in her was wanting to stand around and stare at every inch of each canvas but, she'd refrained as much as she could. 

Stella smiled as she leaned back against the wall. "I think it might be winding down.."

"Oh, yeah I think so." Emma nodded, "But this has been great. There's some really lovely pieces here."

"And we were just fashionably late enough to make a grand entrance. There are some seriously good looking men.." Stella grinned, watching as Aiden approached them, "And here I was thinking you'd gotten swept off your feet!"

Aiden stood in front of them, glancing around the room before setting her sights on Emma. "So, I think it's time that we ganged up on you.."

Emma's eyes widened. She'd honestly been expecting the inquisition from Stella and Aiden, she just wasn't sure when it was going to happen. "I have a feeling I'm in trouble."

"Of course you are!" Stella laughed before nudging her shoulder, "no need to worry because we like you, so we'll go easy on you."

"Seriously what the hell is going on with you and Flack? The guy walks around with a goofy-ass grin on his face," Aiden asked, ever the one to be point-blank.

Emma drank the rest of her champagne, silently wishing that another waiter would make his way by so she could drink the entire tray of champagne. She had no idea what was going on with her and Don, other than they went out a couple of times...and they had kissed once. She shrugged her shoulders, "I...don't know, to be honest."

Stella smiled, "He does have a goofy smile on his face a lot of the time.."

"Well we've gone out a few times but it's always been kind of a casual thing." She was fighting the urge not to blush but the room had suddenly started to feel hot as she mumbled, "he did kiss me though."

Stella gasped, "Oh how cute!"

Aiden smiled, "So _that's _why he's had the goofy grin on his face!"

"You two can't mention it to him, or he'll kill me for telling." Emma gave them both a look but knew it was probably futile. Of course they would tease Don, it was just something co-workers and friends did to one another.

"Oh please. I think it's adorable." Stella finished her own champagne then, "So are you two together or...?"

Emma shrugged her shoulders again, "That's the big question. We haven't really had a chance to talk since the night he kissed me. I mean, tonight was the first time I've seen him in...I don't know how long."

"And he looked like he was about to drag you into a closet somewhere," Aiden remarked with a sly grin.

"Aiden!"

"Well it's the truth so don't act like you didn't notice either, Em."

She really had nothing to say to that because maybe there had been a flash of something in his eyes. And she had wanted to show off, just a bit, in her new dress. Emma laughed, "I'm pleading the fifth. Are we done with the interrogation yet?"

Stella slung an arm around her shoulders, "Yes for now. Our next target is one, Detective Don Flack Jr."

Aiden laughed, "He's not going to know what's coming."

The three of them left soon after, as the party had begun to wind down. Emma felt bad for Don, he was definitely going to get it from Stella and Aiden and probably anyone else that they told. Oh he was definitely in trouble.

Emma was dropped off in front of her apartment, waving goodbye to the two left in the cab with plans to get together within in the next week or so. She wrapped her jacket around her as she made her way inside the building. It didn't take long for her to get to her floor and soon she was walking down the hallway, her head down as she dug around in her purse for her keys. Emma's head shot up when she heard someone clear their throat.

A relieved smile crossed her face when she found a slightly tired looking Don standing in front of her door. "What are you doing here?"

He shrugged before pushing away from the wall, "I thought I'd wait for you. Although if you didn't show up in the next ten minutes I was going to go home."

She unlocked the door and pushed it open, ushering him inside. "You waited for me?"

"Yeah sure." He looked and acted as if it was no big deal and it probably wasn't, but it did mean a lot to her that he would even think to come over.

"Well if you're going to be doing that then I'm going to have to get you a key. We can't have you camping outside my apartment all the time." Emma smiled as she pulled her jacket off, moving to hang it up.

He laughed softly, "Maybe this is a one time deal. Did you have fun?"

"It was nice, there were all these paintings that the inner dork in me was all about. I could've stood there all night looking at everything." She sighed as she leaned back against the couch, "I would love to do something like that."

"So do it." He stood in front of her, watching as she moved around to take off the heels she'd been wearing all night. "I mean, you obviously love all things art.."

She smiled, "Maybe one day." Emma dropped her shoes to the floor before reaching up to rub her neck, "so..do you want to stay here? Or are you heading home?"

* * *

_AN: So I'd like to just apologize real quick for the lapse in updates the past few days/week. Apparently my immune system decided that doing anything besides crashing on the couch watching movies was out of the question. So tonight was pretty much the first night I've gotten any writing done! I think I'm on the way to getting over this lovely cold/allergy thing I've got going on so hopefully I'll get some updates out. I'm going to work on ch. 35 at work so I should be able to post it later on. I'm not going to get to the reviews (again, gr) since it's nearing 3 a.m. and I actually have to get UP for work lol but yeah, look for an update soon!_


	35. Chapter 35

_AN: Another late night update. Gr stupid muse needs to learn to wake up earlier. Anyway, excuse the extreme cheesy fluff ahead. It just has to happen sometimes, I suppose ;)_

* * *

_"So..do you want to stay here? Or are you heading home?"_

He had no idea that two questions could sound so...attractive coming from one little short, brunette woman. And oh, the things running through his mind right then. He smiled, watching as Emma slipped around him, picking her shoes up from the floor and holding them in one hand. "Do you want me to stay here?" He asked.

"Up to you," She said with a shrug as she started towards the bedroom. "It's late though."

He grinned and followed her, reaching up to loosen up his tie. "Fine, fine I'll stay. You don't have to twist my arm or anything."

Emma laughed, looking at him over her shoulder, "you were planning on staying anyway weren't you?"

Don watched as she moved into the bedroom, dropping her shoes onto the floor as she walked around the bed. He slipped his jacket off his shoulders, "so maybe I was _hoping _I could stay."

She sat down on the edge of the bed, swinging her legs back and forth some. "I got questioned by Aiden and Stella tonight.."

"Huh?" He took the opportunity to lay down on the bed, stretching out some as he felt his muscles start to relax after a long day. It did alarm Don a little that the two women had seemingly ganged up on her but Emma didn't seem too worse for wear so it had to go pretty good.

She turned on the bed to see him better, grumbling as she tugged on the end of her dress to keep it from riding up all the way. "They wanted to know what was going on with you and I.."

He raised an eyebrow at that. Uh oh, that could be either very good or very bad. "And uh..what'd you tell them?"

Emma laughed as she moved to lay down next to him, wrapping her arms around his middle. "You look so worried! I told them we'd gone on a couple of dates but other tan that, I don't know."

One of Don's arms slipped around her, playing with the ends of her hair. "What else do you want from all this?"

She shifted some to look up at him, "What do _you _want from all of this?"

"Ah there you go, answering a question with a question," He said with a grin.

Emma smiled, shrugging her shoulders as best she could with the position they were in. "I don't know..."

"Well it's not like we're getting married tomorrow or anything." His eyes had closed so she couldn't see him and anything they might reveal. "But..I guess I just don't want to see you with another guy, you know?"

"You mean you don't want me to date other guys?"

He nodded, "Yeah.."

"Okay." Emma moved to sit up, tugging on the dress again as she tucked her legs underneath her, "then I want the same thing from you. No other girls."

His eyes opened when he felt her move, his hand falling down onto the mattress beside them. "So does this mean we're...dating or whatever? Or is there some other term they're using nowadays?"

She laughed, "You make it sound like we're both old people.."

"Well what are they calling it nowadays?"

She swatted at his arm, trying to stay serious but it was hard when he was acting the way that it was. It also didn't help that he was about as close to laughing as she was. "I think it's stil referred to as 'dating' by the kids. Since we're elderly now and all."

"Okay so what are we then?"

"Don! I don't know!" Emma sighed loudly before she crawled off the bed, reaching behind her to unzip the dress part of the way, "you're being way too difficult about all of this. Just answer Aiden and Stella when they interrogate you. I'm gonna go change."

He lifted his head enough to watch as the zipper slid down, revealing the skin of her back as she walked towards the bedroom door. "Wait a minute, I don't _want_ to be interrogated by those two. And I'm not being difficult. What do you want from all this? I mean, is it a casual thing between us or..are we doing the whole boyfriend/girlfriend thing?"

Her hands went to her hips as she turned fully to look at him. "Don, I don't know. I keep telling you that, geez. Why don't we just...see where it goes. If it gets too weird, we go back to being friends." She shrugged, "that's about all I can think to do."

Don nodded his head after taking a moment to think about it all. Her idea didn't sound so bad actually. "But no seeing other people?"

"Right. No seeing other people," She nodded in agreement. "Can I go change my clothes now?"

He laughed, "I guess you can if you must."

"You'd just like it if I stripped in front of you," She said with a grin before turning and disappearing into the bathroom.

Don laughed as he laid back on the bed; that might be a _little _true. Oh who was he kidding, it was _very _true.

She came back a few moments later, out of the short black dress and in her pajamas. All traces of make-up were gone and Emma's hair was pulled back away from her face. She smiled as she climbed up on the bed next to him, immediately curling up against his side. She yawned before shifting to see him better, "so do you work later?"

"Nope. I plan on sleeping for quite awhile though. Mom keeps threatening me if I don't go up and see her though so I might do that. Wanna tag along?"

"Oh so the rumors can get worse!"

He laughed, sliding his arm around her to pull her closer. "Smartass. I'm serious."

"Yeah sure. I could use some of your mom's cooking.." Emma covered up another yawn before her eyes slipped closed, "but yes I'll come with."

Don watched her quietly for a moment before he leaned down enough to brush his lips over hers. After all, he'd been wanting to do that all night but didn't want to overstep any boundary (in case there were any) and he wasn't sure if she was all into PDA in front of Aiden and Stella. "You need to sleep," He said quietly as he leaned his head against hers.

"So do you! You had a much longer day..night, whatever, than I did." Emma sighed, stealing a look up at him. His eyes were closed and she could tell he was about half asleep himself. In other words, he looked adorable and if she wasn't so worn out she probably would've crawled out of bed long enough to grab her camera. But as it was, she was way too comfortable and too tired to move. She snuggled up closer to him, about as close as she could get that is, and let her eyes close as well. That night was probably one of the best sleeps she'd gotten in days, and of course it had something to do who she was sleeping next to.

* * *

He woke up to find himself in a strange bed, the sunlight filtering in the window. He groaned and pushed himself up, looking around at the decidedly female room. It was then that Don remembered about coming over to Emma's the night before, waiting for her to get home from her night out with Stella and Aiden. But then he realized he was alone in the bed, the other side of the bed was completely empty. He stole a glance at the clock on the nightstand; it was only 9:30. It hard for him to believe that Emma had gotten up before him, usually he was the early riser even when he tried to sleep in. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, rubbing the back of his neck. The way he'd slept the night before had caused one hell of a crick in his neck. Finally though, Don stood from the bed and made his way out of the bedroom, towards the kitchen. His stomach was growling and he was in desperate need of coffee. 

He could hear her humming some song before he saw her. The radio was playing in the background, although the volume was pretty low. He had no idea what song was playing, nor did Don really care. He leaned against the wall, just out of sight from Emma who was in the kitchen. Her back was to him as she stood in front of the counter, in front of the coffee pot. Her hair was piled up underneath a towel, which meant she'd gotten up before him and had taken a shower before him. She had a white tank top on paired with a pair of what had to be _his_ boxer shorts. They were too long on her, even though it looked like she'd rolled the waistband up some. He raised an eyebrow, grinning some. How in the world had she managed to get a pair of his boxers? Granted, what probably happened was he left them at her place and she'd felt the need to keep them for herself. Which, he had to admit, was really cute.

Don cleared his throat before the mini-concert in the kitchen could continue too much longer. He was more than slightly amused when Emma jumped, obviously startled. She spun around and gave him a bit of a death glare. "What are you doing awake?"

"Well I woke up, you weren't there. Guess you could say I got lonely." He grinned as he moved forward, "I thought you were going to start singing and dancing there for a minute.."

She turned a little red, turning back to the coffee maker. She reached for one of the mugs sitting on the counter next to it, "I was not going to sing and dance thank you very much."

"Oh come on, it was cute!" Don slid up behind her, wrapping his arms around her, "And I hope that's coffee for me.."

"Considering I've known that you are a caffeine fiend for years now, _yes_ there is coffee for you." She grinned, leaning back against him, "you know...this is very nice.."

He reached around her for one of the steaming cups of coffee, "yeah. And you know, it's very nice to see you wearing my boxers. Where in the world did you get those?"

Emma slipped out from underneath his arm, her own cup of coffee in hand. "That's for me to know and you to find out!" And with a grin, Emma disappeared back towards the bedroom again.


	36. Chapter 36

One thing Don should've realized was that he was going to be caught by two very attractive women the moment he stepped foot into work next. Of course he'd just spent the night at Emma's _again_, so he had the "goofy" smile on his face. He wasn't at his desk for five whole minutes before his cell phone rang. On the other end? Danny. It didn't seem suspicious yet. Just a quick, "hey I got something up here for you." And then he hung up.

So Don made his way up to the crime lab, not really remembering that he didn't have anything he'd been waiting on. Danny was in his office, seated behind his computer. He shook his head once Don was inside, "man you've got it bad if you believed that.."

"Believed what? You mean you don't have anything for me?"

Danny snorted, "I know this'll get my ass beat at basketball this weekend but, no." He pointed towards the door, causing Don to look over and grimace. Aiden and Stella were standing out in the hallway, grins spread across their faces.

Don groaned and looked at Danny, "you are going to pay for this."

"Yeah, yeah. Now go let them question you so I can get back to work. And then find out all the gossip later." Danny grinned at him before ducking his head, turning his attention back to the computer screen.

Don grumbled a few choice words under his breath but walked out into the hallway, "Ladies. What can I do for you?"

Aiden rolled her eyes and just grabbed his arm, "Come on, come on. We want all the details."

Stella laughed at the look on his face, he looked quite alarmed that they were practically kidnapping him in the middle of the crime lab. But he _did_ go willingly.

The three of them walked down the hallway, ducking into one of the empty labs. He crossed his arms in front of him, ready for the onslaught of questions, squeals, giggles and anything else women do when they find out all the juicy details. "Alright. What is it?"

Stella smiled, patting his arm, "oh you look so worried! We just wanted to see what was going on with you and Emma.."

"And if you two had done it yet," Aiden said grinning.

Stella looked at her for a moment before she shook her head, "Okay _I_ didn't exactly want to know that, thank you. Anyway, we got some of the scoop from Emma but I guess we wanted your perspective too."

He sighed inwardly, they were blocking the door so he couldn't just run out and leave them. He was silently willing his phone to ring, then he at least had a reason to leave. But no such luck. "We're just kind of seeing where this all goes."

"But you like her?" Aiden asked.

"What, is this third grade? Fuck." He laughed, reaching up to rub the back of his neck, "Yes I like her Aid. I've liked her for about as long as I can remember. But like I said, we're just seeing how things go. Neither of us wants anything to get awkward or weird."

Stella had quite the goofy smile on her face and he could tell she was suppressing a squeal or giggle or something. He was really going to have to stop spending so much time with women, they always ended up squealing and giggling around him! He groaned, "Please don't start crying or...whatever."

Stella just shook her head, "No I'm not going to cry. I just think it's adorable. And it's about time you got with someone who's nice and sweet.."

"And can take you down a couple of notches when your head gets too big." Aiden laughed, ducking out of the way of his arm that came out to hit her, playfully, in the shoulder.

He rolled his eyes, "Are you all done?"

Aiden shook her head before throwing her arm around his shoulders, "No way. We need to make sure your intentions with Miss Emma are pure and all that junk."

"Pure?"

Stella snorted at that, "Yeah Aiden that sounded really dorky."

"We can't have a grumpy Emma running around the city...although she does have plenty of blackmail on you, Don." Aiden laughed before pulling away from him, "I'm just teasing."

"Thank god. Now are you two done?"

Stella eyed him for a moment before she spoke again, "Just one more thing.."

Don fought the urge to roll his eyes. So they were being protective of Emma and of him but sometimes they had a tendency to go overboard with things. "Okay. What else?"

"Are you happy?" She asked.

And then the goofy smile came back, causing both women to have an "Awwww" moment to which he did roll his eyes. He laughed and pushed the out of the way enough to get out the door, "You two are horrible but yes, I am happy. Can I finally go back to work now?"

Aiden waved him off, "Yes yes, go. We need to gossip about you behind your back!"

He shook his head with a laugh as he turned to leave, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. He dialed Emma's number, holding it against his ear as he reached the elevator. She picked up after a moment, "hello?"

"Their interrogation wasn't that bad.."

Emma laughed on the other end, "Hello to you too. What do you mean?"

"Aiden and Stella got a hold of me.." He stepped to the side, motioning for the lab tech that was standing behind him. He knew he'd lose his connection if he got into the elevator while on the phone.

"Oh!" She laughed again, "aww poor Don. I'm sorry. But it wasn't that bad?"

"Not really. I'm sure they'll think up more embarrassing questions. Aiden did want to know if we'd, and I quote, 'done it yet'."

"What! Oh my god..I'm going to kill her."

He laughed, "It was pretty priceless."

"Did you answer her?"

"Is it any of her business?"

"Well no.." She sighed, "but you know if you didn't answer her, she's going to ask me the same thing."

"Oh hell just lie if you have to. Tell her I'm great in bed while you're at it."

Emma laughed, "You're too much. I'm glad they weren't too rough on you though."

"Me too. I was a little worried, to tell you the truth. But I better get off here and actually get to work. Talk to you later?"

"Yep. Call me later if you get a chance, I should be at home."

The two of them said their goodbye's and Don slipped his phone back into his pocket, getting into the elevator once the doors opened.

* * *

_AN: shorter-ish chapter. Ch. 37 is about halfway done and should be posted sometime Monday afternoon/early evening. I planned on posting two chapters at once but 37 wasn't coming out like I was hoping so I figured it was time for sleep and then I'll pick it up while at work. yay for having 'net access at work, huh? Enjoy! And have a good Monday :) _

_Aemie- yay new reviewer! I'm glad you're liking it so far, thank you so much for sitting down and reading :) _

_sparkyCSI- they do need to just decide already and quit being big babies about their whole relationship. I do like the awkwardness between the two of them as they try to figure out each other and what to do/what not to do so I think that element will stick around for awhile yet. _

_The Little Corinthian- I love them together too! Okay I'm biased on that one but still! Hopefully you didn't spend ALL weekend curled up, although I'm dreading the start of the week. I kinda enjoyed being lazy this weekend, ugh! _

_demolished-soul- Reading fanfic is a very good way to de-stress from school ;) I should know, ahem lol. _

_truebluepatfan12- fluff is good! I'm just afraid of Flack turning into one big piece of fluff :x _

_meadow567- thank you! _

_quiet-heart- thank you for checking this out! I love romance too, and it might help that Flack is slightly good looking._


	37. Chapter 37

Cooking was not necessarily something that Emma was good at. Sure, she could microwave things with the best of them and she could usually toast bread without catching the toaster on fire but anything other than that was pushing the envelope. She most likely inherited the no-cooking trait from her father, considering Linda was a pretty good cook. So showing up to Don's parents' place and helping his mother cook wasn't too high on her list of things she must do before she dies but...his mother asked her too nicely for her to NOT try to help. Plus, Marta knew about Emma's lack of cooking abilities.

She'd tagged along with Don up to see his parents, since his mom had been nearly threatening his life if he didn't come for a visit soon. Emma had been there numerous times as they were growing up but this time felt a little different since the two of them were kinda-sorta doing the dating thing, even though neither of them was going to admit to it being an exclusive thing. Yet. They just went out with each other. And slept at each other's apartments. No, not dating at all.

Emma felt a bit like she was keeping some deep, dark secret from Marta as she helped out with the salad for that night's dinner. Marta had asked her if she was seeing anyone and while she hadn't outright lied to the older woman's face, she hadn't come out and said 'hey I'm dating your son!' either. But as far as Emma could tell, Don hadn't exactly told his father that they were dating either so if he didn't tell, then she didn't either.

Marta left her alone in the kitchen to finish up the salad. Emma shouldn't have been surprised to see Don come in a few seconds after his mother had disappeared. "Well don't you look cute, where's the apron?" He asked as he slid up beside her.

She snorted, glaring at him playfully. "Very funny."

He smiled, "Kidding. How's it going?" He reached over, stealing a piece of carrot out of the bowl and popping it into his mouth.

"Good. We should be safe as long as I stick to the salad." Emma laughed before turning towards him, "what are you and your dad up to?"

"Been watching tv, there's a game on." he shrugged, "you tell her anything?"

"No!" She shook her head, "have you mentioned anything to your dad?"

"Nope." He shrugged again, "it hasn't really come up in between talking about football and...well, football."

Emma laughed, "Well...okay, is there much to really tell them? Your mom did ask me if I'd been seeing anyone and I said yes which is not a lie."

"Hmm..very true." He nodded, "not like we're getting married or anything. Then yes, I think we'd have to mention it to them. But other than that? Nah. My mom'll burst into tears and start rambling about grandkids if we did tell them."

"Yeaaah..let's not do anything crazy." She moved close enough to him to slip her arms around him, "plus it's kinda nice to have it be a sorta secret thing.."

Don wrapped his arms around her, tugging her closer to him before kissing the top of her head. "It is nice that everyone's not all over us about being together. But you know we'll have to tell them eventually."

She nodded, stepping away from him as he did the same thing as his mom came back into the kitchen. "It all smells great, ma." Don said as he reached over into the salad again.

"Of course it does. And get your hand out of that salad, I swear you have no manners whatsoever," Marta said moving around the two of them in the small kitchen.

Emma grinned at him before swatting at his arm. He pretended to look hurt before reaching over and pulling the mature move of poking her in the side with his index finger. They kept up the immature flirting while his mom had her back to them, stopping just as she turned to them. Marta eyed the two 'children' for a moment but didn't say anything. Don was holding his breath, expecting his mom to out the two of them or say something but she didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary.

The two of them shared a smile before Don slipped out of the room, no doubt to go back to watching football with his dad. Emma went back to finishing up the salad, eventually sticking the bowl into the fridge. She washed her hands off, looking over at Marta. "Do you need help with anything else?"

"No I think I've got it, you can go join the boys if you want to." Marta smiled, "thanks for helping Emma."

"I'm sure I did a lot of good, just be glad you had me doing something easy," She said as she dried off her hands.

Marta laughed, "I've known you long enough that I know not to put you near a stove Emma."

"I've gotten better..at least I haven't burned my building down yet." Emma smiled before heading out of the kitchen.

Marta watched the younger woman leave before shaking her head. "Those two are crazy if they think they're fooling anyone," She mumbled before getting back to work.

* * *

Emma was the type of person who could watch sports, but she didn't necessarily _get_ the sport she was watching. Many of her friends had tried to teach her the fundamentals of basketball, football, soccer and even hockey. She remembered random things, like the referee hand signal for a facemask in football but she'd be damned if she knew what a lay-up was in basketball. But it was still fun to sit and watch the games, especially when whoever she was with would get really into the game. Which usually meant screaming, cheering and throwing crap (usually snack food) at the tv.

Don Flack Sr. was a big, hulking man who could put the fear of God into anyone with just a glance in their direction. She'd always been intimidated of him, especially right after she'd moved to New York and gotten to know Don Jr. a little bit. His dad just _looked _scary. But as scary and as intimidating as he could be, Emma learned quickly that he was a big teddy bear. Sure he was tough on his son, but he did it out of caring and love. Flack would gripe about his dad sometimes but she knew he cared for his father too. Don Sr. considered Emma one of their family members, especially since him and Marta didn't have a daughter. Emma was the next best thing.

But try as he might, he just couldn't teach Emma a thing about sports. She sat on the couch with them, watching as two teams ran up and down the field. She couldn't even remember who was playing and both men were too engrossed in the tv to pay her any attention. Both had beer bottles in their hands, and Emma noticed they were both holding the bottles in their right hands. She was seated next to Flack on the couch while his father was in an easy chair to the right of them.

She was getting a little bored with nothing to do. Marta was done with her in the kitchen, dinner would probably be ready right as the game was ending so she had a whole half hour to waste. The game wasn't holding her attention, other than watching that one cute quarterback come onto the field again...

She laughed to herself, shifting to get comfortable on the couch again. So maybe she wasn't exactly schooled in sports but least she could watch and get some entertainment out of the goodlooking guys on the tv. Flack leaned back next to her, his arm going around the back of the couch (and essentially around her). She glanced over at his dad but he was still concentrating on the tv so she then turned her attention to Flack, whose eyes were also on the tv but a smirk was working its way onto his face. Emma sat back against the couch, looking over at him, "So who's playing again?"

"You've asked that three times since you came in here, Em." He said, his eyes still on the tv.

"Yeah but I forgot. I got distracted." She shrugged, turning her attention back to the tv.

He looked towards her, "By what?"

Emma pointed at the screen where the cute quarterback was making his way onto the sideline, pulling his helmet off. "By him."

Flack snorted, "Him?"

"Yeah, he's hot!" Emma laughed, nudging him in the side.

He glared at her for a moment before turning away from her. "Shoulda known you'd go for some pansy-ass quarterback."

Don Sr. laughed, watching the two of them exchange words. "That'd be why he's spent most of his afternoon on his ass."

She shrugged, reaching over to take Flack's beer from him and taking a drink before handing it back, "hey when you know nothing about football, you gotta entertain yourself somehow. Plus, quarterbacks aren't my type."

Flack caught her eye on the last bit, catching the slight smirk on her face. That made him feel a little better, after all he didn't want to lose her to some pansy-ass quarterback who liked to stand in the pocket all day long.

His father looked over at them as the game went on commercial. "Speaking of, heard Marta ask if you were seeing anyone Emma..."

She smiled as she sat forward, "You're like some gossip columnist, I swear."

"Hey I need to know if I gotta get my bat ready. Can't have some jackass running around with you." He smiled, pushing himself to get up out of the chair, "I'm grabbing another beer. You two want one?"

Both nodded their heads and were quiet until he'd left the room. Flack nudged her with his elbow, "So you have a type?"

"Yeah, you know. Tall, dark and handsome. Wears really dorky ties with questionable shirts. Might be a cop or...something."

He laughed, "I happen to like my shirts and ties!"

She grinned, "Yeah well..sometimes I wonder if you're color blind."

"Hey!" He tried to scowl but it didn't work so instead Flack just sat back against the cushion.

"Yeah yeah, I win. Again." Emma smiled, "and if you don't quit flirting with me, your parents are going to figure it out."

"Yeah and my dad will come after me with a bat. Can't you see it now?"

She laughed at that, sadly she could see Don Sr. doing something like that. "Well..yes I can."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence there Emma," He said with a teasing grin.

* * *

Dinner went off without a hitch and before too long, the two of them were nearly stuffed to the gills with food. Emma and Flack were volunteered to clean up the kitchen afterwards, which of course meant the flirting kept going.

She scowled as he poked another finger in her side and reached up to slap his shoulder. "Quit it, you've done that all night. I'm gonna end up with a bruise in the shape of your fingerprint!"

He laughed, knowing just how immature he was being but honestly how often was it that he got to forget about being an adult for five seconds? "Okay, okay I quit. Scout's honor."

Emma stared at him for a moment, moving around him to put the dishes up in the cupboard, "were you even a boy scout?"

He leaned over to help her get the plates on the highest shelf, letting his hand slide down her back, "Nope."

She looked up at him, having not realized just how close they'd gotten to each other. "I should've known..and what are you doing? We're in your parents' house!"

"Well it's not like I'm going to throw you down on the counter, although..." he trailed off as he eyed the counter.

Emma punched him in the shoulder, "No."

He pulled back, rubbing the spot where she'd hit him. "Jesus Christ where'd you learn to hit like _that_?"

She smiled, leaning up enough to kiss him quickly before she pulled back before saying, "From you" like the answer should've been completely obvious to him.

They left a little later than they'd been planning but neither minded. Don didn't get to see his parents as often as he would like so any time he could get to see them was nice. Emma didn't mind staying later than planned since the Flack's were about as close to having her own family still in New York. Emma walked down the steps, carrying two covered plates of food that Marta insisted she take with her. The leftovers would probably last her a week with how much she was given.

Don Sr. had disappeared into the house after saying goodbye to the two of them. Marta reached up, hugging her only son tightly. It was as if she was afraid she wouldn't see him again, which was always a distinct possibility but he always tried to reassure her. Marta smiled as she pulled back, "by the way, I think she's good for you."

Flack looked confused for a second before shaking his head, "Ma I don't know what you're talkin' about."

"Oh don't give me that." She looked towards where Emma was just getting into the car, "you're not fooling anyone."

"But I--"

"No buts," she said cutting him off. "I think she's perfect for you."

"We're just seeing how it all goes...I guess."

Marta laughed, waving him off, "Yeah yeah I've heard it all before. Go on."

He shook his head with a smile as he started down the steps to go to the car. So telling his parents hadn't been that difficult after all...considering they didn't have to actually tell them.

Don Sr. poked his head out of the door as the car pulled away from the house. "What'd you mean you've heard it all before?"

Marta smiled as she turned to follow her husband inside, "just that my mother said about the same thing to me. And you know, a few months later you asked me to marry you."

He laughed, "He did have it pretty bad for her.."

"Like I told him, they're not fooling anyone."


	38. Chapter 38

Flack let out a grunt as the basketball came flying into his chest a second too fast for him to get his hands out in front of him to catch it. He narrowed his eyes at the shorter man who stood a few feet from him, an annoyed look on his face. "What the fuck is wrong with you, Danny? You been like this all damn day," He grumbled before dropping the ball, bending down enough to pick it up.

Danny had his hands on his hips, his whole body tense as he watched his friend. "Nothin' is wrong," He finally said but his body language was conveying something completely different.

Flack started towards him, shaking his head. "Please. You don't try to kill me with a basketball for no good reason."

He shrugged, "Nothing's wrong. Can we just play?"

The two men had met up early Saturday morning to play their usual game of basketball. They'd tried to keep score but one of them usually lost count as they spent more time talking and taunting each other than playing a real game. That morning had started out just like any other day they would meet up but Danny had been awfully quiet and had seemed to get more and more irritated as the hours passed. Flack shook his head, "I'm not playing anymore until you tell me what's going on. I don't feel like getting another basketball to the chest, that hurt."

Danny reached up, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't know, Aiden's been acting weird lately. It's just bugging me for some reason. That and Louie's been calling me. It'd just be nice to get off of a shift and go home without having to worry so damn much."

"What do you mean Aiden's been acting weird? I haven't noticed anything." But then again, he hadn't been around Aiden much. He'd spent most of the cases lately with Mac or Stella.

"That's just it, I don't know. She's been acting all secretive and shit though."

"How come your brother's been calling?" Flack knew about Danny and his older brother's relationship (or lack thereof). He didn't know all of the details, but he knew enough. Danny tried to cover up his emotions when it came to his brother or even his whole family but Flack had learned to read his friend like a book.

Danny shrugged his shoulders, "I haven't really talked to him. He's mostly been calling while I've been working so I haven't returned his calls."

He nodded, "Well..maybe he wants to talk."

"Probably. Or he wants money I don't have." Danny looked a little sheepish as he looked up at his friend, "I guess I didn't realize how bad of a mood I was in."

"We all have our bad days. Just quit trying to kill me." Flack grinned before moving around him, shooting the ball up towards the basket. It rolled around the rim before eventually falling through.

Danny laughed, "I'll quit trying to kill you, promise."

"So if you had to go to an art show...thing, what would you wear?" Flack asked after a few moment's of silence.

He had the ball in his hands, moving around Don to take a shot of his own. They were barely keeping score anymore so it didn't matter much if the ball went in or not. "I have no idea. A suit? You got plenty of those."

He sighed, "I'm sure Emma's gonna look hot.."

Danny grinned, stopping long enough to look over at him. "Yeah probably. I heard she looked pretty hot that night her, Stella, and Aiden went out.."

"You have _no_ idea." He practically groaned, standing in the middle of the court. "Seriously, she had on this short dress and then these heels...and yeah."

"Sounds like someone's got it bad," Danny smirked as he dribbled the ball around the other man. "Why in the hell are you going to an art show though?"

"It's at the place she works. She told me I had to go with her. Of course, I told her she _had _to go with me to the next NYPD banquet." Flack reached out, snatching the ball from Danny, "but of course that's like saying she has to go shopping or something. I doubt I'd have to twist her arm to get her to go."

"So are you two dating or what?" Danny held up his hands at the look on Flack's face, "What? Aiden was talking about you two the other day. Don't look so shocked, I do keep up on the office gossip usually."

"Yeah when it involves you." Flack laughed as he sat down on one of the benches, setting the basketball down near his feet.

Danny nodded as he followed, sitting down next to him. He reached over for his bag, pulling out a bottle of water. "Yeah I know. I gotta keep up on the gossip about me though, you know. I mean, I might need to know about who I've been seen out with and all that."

He laughed again, shaking his head as he took a drink of his own water bottle that he'd pulled out of his bag, "true. But how much of all that gossip is true? Like..fifty percent?"

Danny snorted, "Watch it buddy."

"So you need to help me figure this out, what do I wear to this thing? I doubt I have to go all out in a tuxedo or whatever but then again, Emma wasn't very forthcoming with details about what to wear."

"I'd just wear a suit." Danny shrugged, "Not like anyone's gonna be looking at you anyway. They'll all be staring at whatever's on the walls or at your girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend."

He raised an eyebrow, turning his head to look at Flack. "She's not? Then what the fuck _are_ you two doing then?"

Flack shrugged his shoulders, staring out at the empty court. He was deliberately ignoring Danny's stare, or at least trying to avoid it. "I don't know. I mean, we're..together." He groaned, rubbing at his face, "Messer stop."

Danny laughed, "I'm not doing anything! I just asked a question."

"We're just kinda...together, for now." He laughed as well, finishing off the water before he stood up. "That sounds so stupid."

"Nah. Not really. I mean, it sounds confusing but.." Danny shrugged as he stood up as well, "I think it makes sense for the two of you. But Stella was right."

Flack watched as Danny stepped around him, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "What'd you mean?"

"Just that she was right. You do have some goofy grin on your face whenever Emma's brought into a conversation." Danny laughed, "Seriously. It's the most hilarious thing, I don't think I've ever seen you look like that when it comes to any other girlfriend you've had."

He attempted to look pissed off as he followed behind Danny. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about. I don't have a 'goofy grin'. I don't even know what that means."

"Look in the mirror and say her name. Your whole face lights up like a damn Christmas tree." Danny shook his head, glancing back at him, "Are you hungry? I'm starving."

"Yeah, yeah we can go eat."

* * *

He was highly uncomfortable. He wanted to blame his shoes, but they were some of the same shoes he wore to work. He wanted to blame the pants, the jacket, the shirt or the tie but..again, they were all items he wore to work. So it was nothing he was wearing that was making him uncomfortable. He guessed it was the fact that he was surrounded by some of New York's elite and some of them were extremely snobby. It also didn't help that Emma's co-workers were off standing in a corner, giggling and pointing at him. Which only meant one thing: Emma had told them about him.

He smiled as Emma slid up to his side. She was wearing a dark blue dress, although this one wasn't nearly as short as the black one she'd worn the last time he'd seen her all dressed up. People were crowded into the gallery, admiring the paintings and pictures on the walls. There was plenty of food and drink around for everyone, which meant that more than one person was teetering on the verge of being drunk. He'd rushed home after lunch with Danny to get ready, getting over to Emma's apartment just in time for them to leave. So far he'd eaten a few hors dourves and had one drink but nothing was really making this an exceptional evening for him. He was growing bored and antsy, although listening to people's interpretations of the art hanging on the wall was fairly entertaining. He leaned down near Emma's ear, lowering his voice so she'd be the only one to hear him, "how long until we can run out of here?"

She laughed, looking up at him. "What, you're not having a good time?"

"It's not that." Don straightened back up, looking around the room. "But you know none of this is exactly my...thing or whatever."

"I know. But thank you for coming." She smiled, slipping her arm through his, "I know this isn't the most ideal way to spend an evening but I promise we'll leave soon."

He nodded before stepping away from the wall he'd parked himself at for the past half hour or so, dragging her with him. "I might as well look around, right?"

Emma nodded as she was yanked forward, following him around the room as they walked past paintings and photographs lining the walls. People had dressed to the nines for this event and probably had more money than either of them would see in a lifetime. The artist himself had been a little difficult but so far, the whole thing had gone off without a hitch. Emma was just glad that someone she _didn't_ work with had come with her, thankful for the view from Don's eyes. None of this was exactly his cup of tea but the fact that he'd shown up had really meant a lot to her.

The two of the stopped near one of the back wall's where a few photographs were framed and hanging there. They looked slightly out of place next to the abstract art and photography of the rest of the gallery but still managed to catch Don's eye. He tilted his head, eyeing one picture in particular. He leaned forward, not catching the nervous look that crossed Emma's face. He turned his head, looking at her standing beside him, "who is that?"

She smiled some, a faint red blush threatening to spread across her face. It'd been a total accident that anyone other than herself had seen some of the pictures she'd taken. But she'd developed what she had and brought them into work on a slow day to go through, pick out the ones she wanted to keep and throw the ones away that hadn't come out right. Some were of things she'd seen in the park or from her apartment window. She'd made the mistake of leaving them out on the desk while she went out to grab lunch for her and Luisa. Of course, Luisa and Marianne had been nosey and gone through the photographs, finding the black and white picture that Emma had taken of Don that morning he'd slept over. And of course, it happened to be the one that Don was staring at. He'd been lying on his side, the blankets pulled up almost covering his face. No one would know it was him unless anyone told them, but it'd been too good of an opportunity to pass up. So Emma had grabbed her camera, snapping a picture before he could wake up. It was one of her favorites. Marianne wanted Emma to showcase some of her stuff, and while it was stuck near the back, a few people had shown interest in some of the nature shots she'd taken.

She licked her lips unconsciously, reaching up to shove a piece of hair back that'd fallen in her face. "Um..you," She said quietly.

Don raised an eyebrow as he straightened once again, turning to face her fully. "How'd a picture of me get in here?"

"I um..took it?" Emma felt the need to run and hide suddenly. She didn't want him to be angry that she'd taken a picture of him without his permission and now it was hanging in her place of work. She'd never do that normally but the face was almost hidden, and she honestly figured he'd never see it unless she showed it to him. Now she was thinking she _might_ have been a little wrong about that.

"When'd you take it?" So okay, Don wasn't really mad. He couldn't exactly be mad at her for taking a picture after all, that was what she did. She always carried some form of a camera with her, snapping pictures randomly even if they were standing in the middle of McDonald's. It was a little bit of a shock to see a picture of himself hanging on the wall, but he wasn't too surprised that she'd taken a picture of him. But it was kind of entertaining to watch Emma act like she was being interrogating like some suspect of a crime. She was hanging her head, wringing her hands together and he was sure she was going to bolt at any second.

She shrugged her shoulders at the question, "I don't know. It was awhile ago. I just hadn't developed anything in awhile and it was in the stack and I brought it into work. Marianne found it and said she wanted to show some of my stuff and that was one of them." She took in a deep breath, stealing a look at him, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

He finally smiled, shaking his head. "It's okay. It's a little odd to see myself on a wall but...I'm not mad."

"You're not?"

"Why would I be?"

Emma laughed, looking relieved that he wasn't mad or upset. "I don't know! I just...didn't think you'd be too thrilled at seeing your sleeping self on a wall."

He shrugged, looking back at the picture. You really couldn't tell it was him unless you were looking very closely. "It's not so bad. Will I be famous now? I mean, I might need an agent and all that.."

"I doubt it. You'd be on every 'worst fashion' list though."

"Hey!"

She laughed again, leaning against him. "I'm only teasing you."

"Better be," He grumbled as he looked over the other pictures she had on the wall. The others were mostly of what looked to be Central Park. Some of the pictures still had snow in them, which had to mean she hadn't developed anything for awhile. "How come some of these are from...months ago?"

"I got busy." She pushed another piece of hair that'd fallen behind her ear, "plus with everything that happened with Marissa and then going to see my mom and then the stuff here, I just forgot about it for awhile."

He nodded, "These are good Em."

She smiled, "Yours is my favorite."

"Why? I'm sure I had to be snoring.."

Emma laughed, shaking her head. "You were not. I woke up pretty early but you were dead to the world. You look all innocent and peaceful when you sleep." She spotted him staring at her as if she had three alien heads and laughed again, "I'm serious! You're relaxed, at peace and I don't know...I thought it was a cute picture."

He shook his head, sliding his arm around her waist before pulling her closer. "One of these days I'm gonna snap a picture of you."

* * *

_AN: So me and haven't been getting along today! I think it's my Internet though, rather than I apologize for the lateness of this update. I should have ch. 39 up later on Sunday though and I'll get to your all's reviews then :)_


	39. Chapter 39

She was running. She had no shoes on but she was running as if her life depended on it. It was dark out, the sounds of the city sounded so far away. Her heart was pounding, her hands were clammy. But she couldn't stop running. If she stopped running then he'd get her and she didn't want that to happen. She could hear the heavy footsteps behind her, catching up. Closer and closer. A hand wrapped its way around her upper arm, causing Emma to let out a sound that was between a yelp and a scream. She tried to claw the hand off but it wouldn't budge. She closed his eyes tightly as she was forced to stop running and then turned around to face the attacker.

_"Emma?"_

Since when did the person know her name? No, it must be some kind of trick. A sick one at that, but a trick nonetheless. She shook her head, still fighting to get the hand off of her arm without looking up at the person.

"Emma!"

The voice sounded familiar now. Too familiar. Her attacker was...

"_Emma_, wake up!"

Don?

Her eyes shot open and she found herself inches away from Don's face. She was breathing so hard it felt like she had been running for real but a quick look around found Emma in her own bedroom, in her own bed. She scrambled to get back away from him, nearly pushing him off the edge of the bed in the process. He looked worried. Obviously he looked worried since she'd just apparently had some nightmare that hadn't made an appearance in months now. Okay, maybe not months but weeks at least. All right, not even weeks. Days. She blinked a couple of times, reaching up to shove her hair out of her face. Emma was sure she looked a fright, in her pajamas (which still consisted of his borrowed boxers but her own shirt) and with her hair going every which direction. She looked down, finding her hands were shaking. She looked up, alarmed, when she felt the bed shift as Don moved up closer to her.

"Are you okay?" He asked finally.

She nodded her head quickly, trying to get the nightmare as far out of her mind as she could. "Yeah..I'm fine.." Her throat felt scratchy and raw, like she'd actually been screaming. She chewed on her lip for a moment, surely she hadn't been screaming her head off like some lunatic.

He didn't look so convinced that she was fine when it was obvious that she wasn't. He'd been in the other room, watching the end of some movie that they'd started once they got home from the show opening. She'd gone in to change her clothes and had fallen asleep. He'd left her there, content to watch the movie until he got tired. He heard her mumbling from the other room, eventually getting up to make sure she was okay. He'd found her lying in the bed, tossing and turning. She'd obviously been fighting _something_ in her dreams. He'd had to shake her pretty hard to get her to wake up and even then, she looked like a caged animal that'd been surprised. Yeah right, she was "fine".

"What were you dreaming about?"

Emma shook her head this time, moving to get up off the bed. "Nothing, I don't even remember."

That last part wasn't the least bit true. It'd been the same nightmare since that guy had attacked her in the hallway. It was always the same. She was running through some forest-like place that didn't seem to exist in the city. It was dark and she was hurrying to get away from the guy, a flash of his face always in her mind. She'd always managed to wake up right as he got a hold of her but obviously this time, she didn't. No one knew about the nightmares, especially since they'd stopped for more than a week now. She didn't want anyone to know, which is why it was so embarrassing for one to happen while Don was in her living room.

He reached out, catching her wrist gently in his hand. She flinched and hurried to pull her wrist away from him. "I'm fine Don."

He sighed, just watching her as she slipped away from him. He hadn't been aware that she'd been having any sort of nightmares. She hadn't mentioned it at least. Of course, he thought, he should've known that this was all affecting her still. It hadn't been that long ago that it happened. But she'd been acting fine, normal even. He stood, following her into the bathroom. She leaned over the sink, holding a washcloth under the running water before pressing it against her face. He leaned against the doorframe, watching her quietly until she was finished washing off her face. "You're not fine," He finally said.

She shot him a look, and really...if looks could kill then he most likely would've been six feet under right then. "No. I am." She moved to brush past him, not surprised when one of his arms wound its way around her waist, making her stop mid-step.

"Emma how long have you been having this nightmare?"

She sighed loudly, aggravated that he was blocking her from moving past him with his arm and the fact that his body nearly filled the doorway. So even if she could get under his arm, he was still in the way. The one thing she hated about her and Don's relationship (friendship and otherwise) was that she couldn't lie to him. Or if she did lie to him, it never lasted for very long. He'd always seemed to be able to read her like a book. And this time, even though she wanted to lie to him, she knew she couldn't. She had a feeling he was giving her the same look he gave criminals when they were being questioned. The same dark, stormy, stern loook. She avoided his eyes, looking at everything in the bathroom and anything over his shoulder that she could see before mumbling, "since it happened.."

"Emma.."

He said it as if he were scolding a child. "What? Don't say my name like _that_."

His arm loosened around her but didn't let her go. Instead Don pulled her out of the bathroom, pulling her back into the bedroom. "I'm not saying it in a bad way, I just didn't know you were having nightmares or anything."

She shrugged, "It's no big deal. In fact they'd stopped for awhile before tonight."

He sat down on the end of the bed, pulling her with him until she was standing in between his legs. It was an odd sort of position but she wasn't looking at him still. This way it almost forced her to look at him, even though she was keeping her head down and her hair was in her face. He reached up, sliding the palm of his hand up her neck before cupping her cheek gently, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"And what are you gonna do about them? Wear a cape and come save me in my dreams?" She was joking but she was still avoiding his eyes.

"Well, Superman has nothing on me." He smiled some, leaning in so he could see her eyes, "I'd help you if I knew something was wrong."

She shrugged her shoulders but leaned into his touch a little. "It's just in my head. If I could get over it, they'd stop."

"You ever think of talking to someone?"

"Like a therapist? Psh. No." She smiled, turning her head and placing a kiss against his palm, "I'm okay. I promise."

Don sighed but nodded his head, relenting for the time being. "All right. But if they keep happening..."

"I'll go talk to someone." She nodded before grinning, pushing him back onto the bed.

He raised an eyebrow and watched as Emma crawled up on top of him, moving around until she eventually laid down right on top of him. His arms wrapped around her middle tightly and he closed his eyes, listening as her breathing started to even out and deepen. "You better not fall asleep on top of me," He mumbled.

Emma laughed softly, turning her head to look at him. "I'm not. I just wanted to be...you know, close to you."

"Hey I'm not complaining. It's not everyday that I get a hot chick on top of me.."

She laughed again, eventually moving off of him to lay at his side. His arms were still around her, pulling her just a little closer again. "You better not have other 'chicks' laying on top of you all the time!"

He shook his head, leaning in enough to press his lips against hers. "Good night Emma."

"Oh so now we're going to sleep?" Truth was she didn't want to go back to sleep just yet. The nightmare was still pretty vivid in her mind, she was half afraid it'd come back. And what if this time Don couldn't save her? It was a silly thought since it was a dream but, still.

"Yes we're going to sleep. You've gotta get up early and I just want to sleep." He shrugged his shoulders, turning on his side to face her. Emma nearly glued herself to his side, curling up against him. His hands were moving, rubbing her lower back gently. It _was_ making her sleepy, even though she was trying to keep her eyes open for as long as possible.

"Okay. Sleep it is."

"No more nightmares," He said softly. Don was watching her closely. Her eyes were growing heavier and heavier. They'd close for a few brief seconds and then snap open before starting to slip closed almost as soon as they opened. She was fighting sleep and it was obvious why. She didn't want the nightmare to come back.

Her eyes finally stayed closed for more than a minute and it wasn't long after before she was completely asleep. She'd finally given in to the need for sleep. Her body and mind both had to be exhausted if she'd been having the same nightmare since the attack happened. He was getting tired too, finally feeling his own sleepiness catching up to him. He felt a bit like the protector, holding onto her tightly to make sure nothing bad could get to her. He just hoped when the something bad was caught, that he could still protect her.

* * *

_AN: Short chapter! I kind of struggled with this one so sorry if it's bad :-x it's fluff, completely. But hey Flack!fluff is okay too. And who all saw the season premiere last week? I'm a little iffy on what I thought about it. It had its good points and bad points (to me). _

_sparkyCSI: haha It is HARD to imagine Flack at an art show voluntarily. I have a feeling he'd either be a wall-flower or find some hot girl to flirt with._

_demolished-soul: that was my favorite part of writing that chapter!_

_The Little Corinthian: I know! I know I'd have a hard time standing through something boring, I can just see him fidgeting like some kid who wants to leave. and I'm trying to get to the end of last season without leaving too-too much out, I just get off on tangents..lol And I've got to remember not to add in season 3 things now that this season has started! Put it like this, I know where I want my story to go, it's just weaving it in with the real-show things that could make it harder than I thought. _

_sanzo-reload: I think that is some record! Thank you for reading it all and enjoying it :)_

_truehbluepatfan12: thank you! that means a lot (considering I never thought I'd get this many reviews lol)_

_meadow567: thanks!_

_ilovemygelding: they have definitely become the adorable couple, although I don't want them to get too sappy with each other. Danny and the others would be making fun of them foreeever._


	40. Chapter 40

Don and Emma had their first "couple argument" around the time that Aiden was fired as a CSI. Things had been growing more and more tense with each passing day. Emma dealing with the nightmare that had made its re-appearance and Don dealing with work in general. He knew they had the guy, he knew there was evidence to get the guy. It just wasn't enough to put him behind bars. He'd been the second to notice that Aiden was acting weird. She'd pop in, say hi and then be gone before he could ask what she was doing. He found out from Mac that she was working round the clock on the unsolved but related rape and assault cases. Aiden looked tired, pissed off and motivated all at once. But none of them really had any idea what was going on. Somehow though, Don and Emma were still doing their "dating" thing. Even though both didn't call it dating. They just _had _to make it a little more difficult than it should've been; for themselves and everyone around them.

She was sitting in a small diner, at a table near the window. The day was bright, sunny and fairly warm given that Spring had yet to really arrive. Aiden had left her a voicemail that morning, wanting to meet for lunch. Emma had a feeling something was going on, just by the tone of her voice and how evasive she'd sounded but curiosity was peaked so she called back and made arrangements to meet her around lunchtime. She was flipping through the newspaper when the door opened and in walked Aiden. She was carrying what looked to be a book filled to the brim with papers and spotted Emma, walking over to the table and sitting down across from her. A waitress appeared almost immediately, taking their drink orders before disappearing. Emma folded up the newspaper and put it off to the side, smiling at her, "So what's going on?"

Aiden sighed, shoving some of the papers towards her. "Well..the shit is about to hit the fan, so to speak. I'm not sure I should even be showing you any of this but..I thought you might need to see it."

Emma frowned some but reached out hesitantly, flipping open one of the folders she'd pushed across. It was a sheet of paper, filled with a name, address and other statistics of a man. Paper clipped to the sheet of paper was a photograph, mugshot really of a man. She looked over at Aiden, "That's him.."

Aiden nodded her head, "I'm afraid so. I mean, I wish it wasn't but..yeah. He's the one that's been attacking women all over the place. He raped a woman _twice_. She can identify him and everything, she just wouldn't testify the first time around and the second time around there was no evidence that we can find."

"Okay...so why are you showing me this?"

"Keep looking through the stuff. It's evidence for your case against this guy, Pratt."

Emma nodded and looked back down at the folder. She flipped through a couple of pages, her frown growing deeper and deeper as she saw pictures. Her building, her apartment number and door. Her place of employment. One of Emma out with Aiden, Danny and Don coming out of a bar. One of her and Luisa leaving a late dinner one night. One of her and Don in her hallway. One of just her, going inside her building. What, the bastard had been _stalking _her?

She closed the folder just as the waitress brought their drinks. She managed to order her lunch, watching as Aiden did the same. They waited until the waitress disappeared again before saying anything. Emma sat back in her seat, pushing the folder away from her. "I don't think I need to see anymore.."

"We found these in his apartment. He'd been watching you for awhile before he worked in your building. You're the only person outside of Stella, Mac and Don that's seen these."

"So how come you haven't arrested him for stalking? Or attacking me? I mean...wait a minute, Don knew?" She sighed, crossing her arms in front of herself, "why didn't he tell me?"

"We don't want to jeopardize the case. We _did _arrest him. His lawyer is just the slimey kind and he got off on a technicality. There was a protective order placed on you though, he couldn't come near you anywhere without getting his ass thrown back in jail. Flack made sure that if he was going to come within 500 yards of you that he'd be arrested. I guess none of us wanted you to worry more than you already were." Aiden shrugged her shoulders, "I'm sorry."

Emma was mad. More than mad really. She felt very left out, especially if it had to do with her safety and well-being. Point is, she should've known. So what if this whole 'dating' thing wasn't even real anymore? Maybe he was only around her to make sure that guy didn't come around and try anything. It was a childish thought because in the back of her mind, she knew that wasn't true. That wasn't in Don Flack Jr's character. But that still made her mad that he never told her or showed her any of this.

"So why are you showing me this now?" Emma asked after a long period of silence. She wasn't even hungry anymore but knew their food would be arriving shortly. Her stomach was in knots now, how could someone have been sick enough to take pictures of her walking down the damn street?

"I did something. I can't tell you what. I mean, at this point I'm not even sure what'll happen but it could maybe...hurt the case." Aiden was frowning, picking at the end of the table cloth, "I just want this guy off the streets. For you and for anyone else he's hurt. He's not going to stop."

She nodded, "I do appreciate you telling me finally. I just..I can't believe he has all these pictures.."

"Me neither. But it's what he does, he stalks his victims. He figures out what they do, day in and day out." Aiden sighed, reaching up rub a hand over her tired face, "If we'd got him the first time around then none of this would've happened to you."

Emma watched her, realizing for the first time just how tired Aiden looked. She knew the other woman had been working hard but she didn't know she was working _that_ hard. "Are you okay?"

"This case is eating me alive, I think. I eat, sleep, and breathe it." She smiled a little bit, "makes it hard to get out and have a good time I guess."

Emma laughed softly, "Well tell you what, let's put the folders and crap away for now. We'll talk about anything else other than work, that way when you head back you'll be in a better state of mind."

Aiden nodded, "Sounds good to me."

* * *

He was standing near a crime scene, watching as uniformed cops made their way around the yellow tape to keep people from gawking too much. He was scribbling in a notebook as an older man recounted information about his grocery store being robbed. Don jumped a little as his phone started vibrating from inside his pocket. Of course he couldn't really answer at the moment so he sighed inwardly when the phone stopped vibrating. He jumped a second time, catching the weird look Danny gave him, when his phone vibrated again. Danny stood up from where he'd been collecting some evidence off the ground. "Havin' problems there Flack?"

He shot him a glare, finishing up with the witness before moving towards him. "Very funny. My phone keeps ringing dumbass."

"Ouch, such harsh language on the job!" Danny laughed, shaking his head, "you got everyone?"

"Yeah. We'll have some interviews later but for the most part, I got everyone. You almost done here?"

"Just about. I'll go help Stella. I'll catch you later...next time don't stick your phone in your pocket!"

Don came close to flipping Danny off, just for the hell of it, but then he remembered he was on duty and his superiors probably wouldn't think too highly of him if they found out he did something like that. He waved him off before turning to a uniformed cop that approached him.

It was a few minutes later when he finally got enough time to pull his cell phone from inside his pocket. Two missed calls were showing up, but both were Emma's number. He also noticed the voicemail symbol up in the top corner so he checked that first. It was a short message. Short from Emma meant she was pissed off about something. Uh oh.

It was even longer before he could actually get a chance to call her back. He went back downtown, meeting up with Danny up in the labs and then was back at his desk finally with enough time to call her back. Of course, he knew she wasn't going to be happy. Hell, he knew he wouldn't have been happy if it took her longer than a few hours to call him back. He held his phone against his ear while he looked over some papers in front of him.

She finally picked up after a couple of rings with a short, "About damn time Don."

He was usually amused when she'd get mad about something. Years of living in New York hadn't done much to get rid of the accent she had, and it definitely wasn't a 'northern' accent. But when she got mad, her accent got ten times worse than normal. He usually would tease her but he could tell right away that he probably shouldn't do that with this conversation. She didn't sound happy, at all. "I got caught up with helping Danny and Stella out. Why'd you call for?"

"I found out some interesting information this afternoon, from Aiden."

Well, he'd been wondering why he hadn't seen the brunette detective yet that day. He'd gotten used to seeing Aiden at least once during a shift but lately she had been acting a little off. "Oh yeah, what'd you find out?"

"How come you didn't tell me about the protective order, first of all."

Oh he could just picture Emma now. She'd be sitting somewhere, her phone against her ear, her arms crossed in front of her. Her eyes would be narrowed, glaring at whatever happened to be in front of her at that moment. She'd be so pissed off and angry about whatever it was that happened to irk her nerves at that moment in time but somehow, she'd be highly attractive. He grinned some until the question fully translated in his head. Then Don frowned, leaning forward on his desk some, "what?"

"Aiden told me there's a protective order. And she showed me the pictures. Why didn't you tell me the guy had practically been stalking me?"

He groaned inwardly. _This _had been exactly why he didn't tell her. Oh sure, he'd been planning on telling her eventually. He just wanted the guy behind bars before he told her, that way he wouldn't have a freaked out and scared Emma on his hands. It was bad enough that the nightmare had come back now. He sighed softly, "Emma we need to talk about this in person."

"Oh I am way too pissed off at you to talk about this in person, I'd be liable to kick you in the balls."

He flinched. She'd do it too. Just to prove whatever her point was. "All right, no we are not going to be doing that anytime soon."

"Well! It's ridiculous that I'm the last to know everything!"

And then there was her voice rising in pitch. He rubbed his forehead, sighing again. "Let me come over. Are you at home?"

"No you are not coming over here. I'm mad at you."

"For protecting you? Jesus Christ, Emma I only did it to protect you! And I didn't want any of this to happen. Quit being difficult!"

"Oh I'm being difficult? I'm being difficult! Yeah thanks Don but I don't need your damn help."

Her voice was also rising in volume. If she got any louder he was going to be forced to hold the phone away from his ear just so he didn't go deaf. "Emma, calm down. I'm serious. I was going to tell you, but I just figured with you having trouble sleeping-"

"I am _not _having trouble sleeping!"

Don groaned out loud this time, "You're being really difficult."

"You should've told me."

"I know, I know okay? I should've told you. I just didn't want you to freak out, like you are doing now. Why did Aiden tell you and show you all that? I'm gonna kill her.."

She sighed on the other end, "I don't know okay? We met for lunch. She said something about the shit was about to hit the fan but she didn't elaborate."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, alright?"

"Fine. But you owe me."

"Owe you for what!" He exclaimed.

"For not telling me! Get a clue. God, you're such a man."

He laughed at that, "Yeah well I think I'll take that as a compliment. I'll find a way to make it up to you." He paused for a moment before saying, "hey Em?"

"What?"

"Did we just have our first argument as a couple?"

There was silence on the other end for a moment. Then Emma grumbled out a "Yes."

He grinned, "You're all pissed off because I won this one.."

"Oh please. You won nothing. And you still owe me."

"Yeah, yeah. Look I gotta get off of here...just know that I did that to protect you. Yeah I go overboard sometimes and I know it but, still."

"I know but this is all so...freaky, Don."

"I know. But hopefully it'll be over soon. So listen, I'll talk to you later?"

"Yeah I'll talk to you later on."

They hung up soon after that. Don was on the move again a few moments later, heading out with Stella to interview one of the suspect's they had on their case. He glanced over at her as they drove through traffic, "So I got a question.."

Stella smiled, "This is going to be a great one, right? What is it?"

"You know of any places where I could order some flowers?"

She laughed softly, nodding her head as she pulled her cell phone out. She scrolled through her phonebook a ways before handing it to him, "That number right there. They're great. Why?"

He shrugged a shoulder as he hurriedly scribbled the number down while they were stopped at a red light. "No reason."

"Sure Don. If you say so."

"I'm sure you'll end up hearing all about it," He said shooting a grin her way as he handed her phone back to her.

* * *

_AN: I'm convinced my muse(s) come out to play when I'm at work or when it's really late at night. Okay that and I have to catch up on my soap operas so what better to do than to write while watching? Anyway! Enjoy the chapter ;) ch. 41 will hopefully be up later on Tuesday._

_demolished-soul: I honestly can't believe I've reached 40 chapters. I had maybe 20 in my head when I started, now I have no idea. As for the premiere, I had my issues with it as well (um..who IS Angel anyway? that confused me more than it should've). I think I hyped it up too much for myself because I was kinda/sorta let down._

_truebluepatfan12: oh don't say that! your stuff is good too! I think the thing is to keep with it, even if you think something is horrible and it sucks. Believe me, I've read some of my older stuff and yeah it's pretty sucky but there's some good points in everything. (okay maybe my older stuff was bad because it was about boybands...lol)_

_meadow567: they will eventually make it official..they just have to be REAALLY difficult about everything ;)_

_The Little Corinthian: I liked it and then again I didn't. There were parts that threw me off (Angel!) but then there were parts that I liked (lol the Lindsay-Flack exchange was totally cute). I agree though, I hope they don't just brush over the fact that Flack was nearly blown to bits. haha get to sleep! It's nearing 2 here and I've got a 9:30 class!_

_sparkyCSI:I am a late night updater hangs head in shame it's not my fault the muses come out at night! Speaking of the show, I hope they don't forget some of the traumatic things that have happened to the characters coughFLACKcough. But yeah I couldn't have her completely forget, although I kind of did for a second lol. And cockroaches? Ewww, nope nope nope! Hopefully you have good Flack-related dreams ;)_


	41. Chapter 41

_AN: Slight Spoilers for "Grand Murder at Central Station" from Season 2. But..wouldn't you be reaaally behind if you hadn't seen that episode yet? ;)_

She'd just gotten home with enough time to change out of her work clothes and turn on the tv when there was a knock on the door. Emma sighed, she'd been about to sit down on the couch for a fun-filled night of prime time tv. She grumbled under her breath as she walked around the couch, pulling open the door without a second thought. She'd gotten in the habit of always checking before she just threw the door open when someone knocked but the thought didn't really occur to her at that point. She just wanted to get back to the couch and her tv shows.

She opened the door expecting to find herself face to face with a person. Instead, she was faced with an enormous bunch of flowers; roses to be exact. She took a step backwards as she wasn't even able to see who was delivering the flowers. Emma moved back more as the flowers moved inside her apartment, eventually revealing a skinny kid who didn't look to be more than 18 years old. "I'm guessing you're Emma Lewis, right?" He asked.

She just nodded dumbly, too stunned to do anything else as she watched the huge group of flowers move from the doorway into her apartment. Eventually Emma moved, directing him to the kitchen area and had him set the roses down on top of the counter. She scrambled for her purse, pulling out some cash for a tip and handing it to the boy, seeing him out the door. Once the door was closed again, she leaned back against it, staring at the roses overtaking her counter at the moment. She let out a decidedly girly squeal and walked over to them, leaning over enough to smell one of the deep red flowers sticking out a little farther than the others. Emma spotted a white card in the middle of the arrangement, reaching up to grab it. Her fingers worked to tear open the small envelope, finally getting it open after what seemed to be forever. A small card was inside, but to her annoyance there was no message or even a signature. Of course Emma knew who the roses were from, or at least who she thought they should be from! In all the years that she'd been in the dating world, she'd never once received flowers.

Emma moved away from the roses, looking back at them every few seconds until she found her cell phone where she'd left it when she got home. She pressed a few buttons before holding it up against her ear, wandering back over to the roses. They were a gorgeous mix of red and white, the red was so dark it almost looked black. She smiled, reaching out to touch one of the petals of a white rose that was closest to her while she waited for an answer.

It seemed like his phone rang for an eternity but eventually, he answered with a quick, "Hey Emma."

She could hear the grin in his voice, which meant she didn't even need a card to tell her who sent her roses. "Don they're absolutely _beautiful_."

There was a teasing tone to his voice when he said, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh please!"

He laughed, "I'm glad you like them."

"I've never gotten flowers from anyone, let alone roses. I mean, my mom did once but that doesn't count--and I'm rambling."

"You are but it's a trait that I tend to think is pretty cute usually."

Emma leaned against the counter, still staring at the arrangement, "So you think this makes up for earlier, huh?"

"Hey I thought it'd be a start."

"Oh yeah? What else are you planning?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out."

"Don!"

"Emma.." He laughed again, "don't be difficult. By the way, you busy this weekend?"

"Well..no..," She paused, narrowing her eyes some. He was up to something but she had no idea what. That was the most annoying part. "Why?"

"Oh nothing. I gotta go, call you later."

He hung up the phone before she could come back with what was definitely going to be a smart-assed retort. With a groan, Emma closed her phone and laid it on the counter. If he was going all out over one little argument, what the hell would he do if they had a huge fight? A grin crossed her face at that thought. With her luck, if and when they had a huge fight he'd probably bungee jump from the Empire State Building wearing a "I 3 Emma" t-shirt. Now that would be prime-time tv. She laughed to herself, moving back towards the couch to sit down. Although she'd been planning to crash in front of the tv for the night, her attention kept drifting back to the arrangement of roses sitting on her counter. She couldn't help but wonder what else he was planning.

* * *

His jaw dropped and he stared, dumbly, at the person standing in front of him. He'd been about to head out, most likely to go over to Emma's and crash at her place. He blinked a couple of times, still staring at Stella as if she had three heads. "What'd you mean _fired_?" He nearly growled.

Stella reached out, putting her hand on his arm, "Don't look like that. She tampered with evidence Don."

"But he fired her!"

"Don.."

"That is complete bullshit." He shook his head. Aiden fired? That was insane! "Where is he? I'd like to give him a piece of my mind..."

Stella shook her head, well-aware of how Don's temper could affect him at times. She also knew him storming up after Mac was not a good idea. Mac had a temper too, simmering just below the surface so that no one ever really saw it but saw glimpses of it from time to time. "You're going to do no such thing. Aiden..did something bad. She'll be okay Don."

"Yeah but-"

"No buts," She said cutting him off. "We're all a little shocked but, I think it had to be done...you know?"

He sighed, his own temper going back into the cave so to speak. "Yeah I know." In fact, if he was in Mac's shoes and the same thing had happened then he would've done the same thing. Aiden could've ruined the whole case against DJ Pratt. Luckily she didn't actually do anything besides open the evidence bag but, it was bad enough that she lost her job. "I guess that's why she told Emma that shit was going to hit the fan."

"Really?"

He nodded, "Yeah. They met for lunch earlier. Aiden showed her the photos and things pulled from his apartment."

"Oh man.." She sighed, "hopefully this doesn't get the case thrown out. All we need is his lawyer raising hell around here again."

"Yeah." He rubbed the back of his neck, "I gotta get going. If you talk to Aiden, tell her to call me?"

Stella smiled some, "Sure will. Go home, get some rest."

He shot her a grin as he turned to walk away, "okay _mom."_

He hurried away before she could throw something at him or hit him, but knew Stella would get revenge one way or another. It wasn't long before he was on his way to Emma's though, thankful to be away from his desk. The news that Aiden had gotten fired was slowly beginning to trinkle down to everyone and all seemed shocked to find out she was just gone. He had yet to talk to Danny but knew he'd be taking it pretty hard, seeing as she was his main partner usually. He also wondered how this would affect the CSI squad as a whole. They'd be one person down on all cases. Hawkes was coming along though with the help of Mac, but then again the guy was a walking computer so it probably wouldn't be long before he was out running calls on his own. But that still put them a person down.

Don sighed, shaking his head. He was off of work, the last thing he needed to be thinking about was work. Especially since he'd finally reached Emma's apartment and knocked on the door. She answered the door in her ever-present sweats and smiled, "Oh I was hoping it'd be more flowers.."

He laughed as he stepped inside, immediately slipping his arms around her. She protested lightly when he hugged her tightly, burying his face against her neck and shoulder. For some reason he'd felt the need to be as close to her as possible. Events from that night had caught up to him again.

Her fingers slid up into his hair as they stood just inside the doorway of her apartment. His tall frame had leaned down and he hugged her so tight she was sure she'd be a squished-Emma before he was done. "What's wrong?" She asked softly.

Don sighed as he pulled back, reaching to close the door. "Aiden got fired.."

"What! Why!"

"I don't know all the details besides what Stella told me. Apparently she..tampered with evidence. Or she started to but she didn't..I don't know." He shrugged, "I haven't talked to her. No one has since she left."

"Oh man..." Emma shook her head, chewing on her lower lip, "I feel so bad for her.."

"Yeah..kinda torn between being pissed at her for being stupid like that and being pissed at Mac for firing her."

She grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the couch. "And no one's talked to her?"

"Not that I know of. Stella came to tell me right before I left to come here," He said as he sat down on the couch.

"Well...I hope she's okay.."

"Me too. I just...thought you should know."

Emma nodded, "I appreciate it. I'll try to call her in a day or two, see if she's okay. Will this affect the case?"

He shrugged at that because truth was, none of them knew at that point. "Dunno. It could. His lawyer will probably try to get everything thrown out. I just don't know.."

"Well thanks for telling me..," she said before she crawled closer to him. She was nearly in his lap before his arms wrapped around her waist. "And thanks for the roses.."

Don smiled at her as the both of them stretched out on the couch more, "I was a jerk for not telling you any of that."

She nodded, pressing her lips against his for only a moment before she moved, laying her head down on his chest. Her eyes closed as she listened to the steady thumping sound of his heart. "A bit of a jerk but I think it's forgivable."

He rested his chin on the top of her head as he glanced at the tv. Some late night talk show was on, which reminded him just how late it was. "I was thinking we'd go away this weekend.."

"Really?"

"Mmhm. Figured we could both use a mini-vacation." That was true for both of them. They'd been running themselves ragged at their respective jobs and the trip to Georgia seemed so long ago now. But his idea of getting them out of town wasn't just to make up for the argument earlier, he was also thinking that Emma needed both the mental and emotional rest. He knew she hadn't been sleeping well and she could be as stubborn as a mule sometimes about admitting anything.

She lifted her head up enough to see him better, "Where are we going?"

He grinned, "Now _that's_ the surprise."

* * *

_AN: So I think I've realized that the dates in the story might not be corresponding to the dates of the things I reference from the show. So if that gets confusing, I apologize! If it gets to be annoying or what have you, let me know and I'll attempt to straighten it out as the story goes. _

_sanzo-reload: I don't know, they could be cuter..lol thank you!_

_The Little Corinthian: Yeah I think I'd have to keep him capable of ahem ;) ok I admit it, little Flacks would be cute. Yes! I did think Angel was a complete clone of Aiden, right down to the hair and the outfit and her attitude. I was wondering if maybe they brought her in for more D/L drama but I wasn't sure! It just annoyed me that they threw her in there and everyone's all "HEEEY ANGEL!" and then I had no clue who she was lol_

_demolished-soul: I think I was a little disappointed in the season premiere too, I also think I read too many spoilers so that probably didn't help. I've been staying away from spoilers concerning my other favorite show (Lost) so maybe that one won't be as "eh" to me. I just didn't like that they threw Angel in there and expected the audience to know who she was, and I thought I'd missed something lol_

_truebluepatfan12: yees I read! I read a lot of stuff ;) But like I said, the more you keep up with it the better you'll get and the better you'll feel about your own writing. This is honestly the first chaptered story I've kind of liked of mine. Other stuff I read was just..horrible lol_

_meadow567: I promise they'll quit being so difficult about everything!_

_sparkyCSI: Yeah I have yet to find a real life couple that doesn't fight and argue! Plus, that'd be boring lol Mine likes to come out and play when it's most inopportune (i.e. at work or in class!). Maybe she doesn't like Dr. Pepper ;) and I'm with you on being a late night person, that's me too. I shouldn't be but I can never get my sleep schedule flipped around so I just drink massive amounts of Starbucks lol_


	42. Chapter 42

One thing about Emma was that when she knew she was getting something, she didn't let up on it. She wanted to know what it was and she wanted to know it right that second. Probably Don's biggest mistake was even mentioning the word "mini-vacation" to her because even though they had two whole days before they were to leave, she was bugging him left and right about details. He'd stood strong though and didn't let anything slip. But now that they were in the car and driving out of town on a Friday afternoon, and had been for almost 45 minutes, she was beginning to get on his nerves.

She was fidgeting in the passenger seat and kept reaching forward to play with the radio. She also kept asking questions about where they were going. How far was it? Which direction were they going? Were they leaving the state?

Finally, on the sixth or seventh turn of the radio station, he reached over and grabbed her wrist. She smiled, looking a little sheepish as she sat back in the seat. "Sorry.."

He just shook his head, letting go of her wrist before putting his hand back on the steering wheel. Then Emma started with the fidgeting again. She was like a three year old who'd had way too much sugar. She looked over at him, noting the way his eyebrows were knitted together in obvious frustration and the way his mouth was set in a firm line. She smiled again, "I bet you regret this whole vacation thing, huh?"

His face softened once he glanced at her. "What? No way."

"Please! I'm sitting here, well _trying_ to sit here and I'm annoying you."

"Emma, I hate to tell you this but you've been annoying me for the past two days," He said with a grin.

"I have?"

He nodded as he kept his eyes on the road, "Pretty much. Yet I'm still taking you to this place that you'd better like.."

She laughed, "Well if you told me where we're going then I'd tell you if I'll like it."

"Nope. And ruin seeing the look on your face? I think not." He shot her a quick smile, "but if you touch the radio one more time I'm going to have to turn the car around."

"Oh thanks _dad_." Emma snorted, ducking out of the way of the hand that shot out to hit her arm, "Hey! okay okay, I'll quit being irritating."

* * *

He made her close her eyes once they were about a mile from their destination. Emma whined and complained about it but eventually closed her eyes. He reached over, covering her eyes with his hand since Don hadn't thought to bring anything that could be used as a blindfold. He pulled up into the driveway and grinned at her, "Okay you have to keep them closed even when I pull my hand away."

"Don seriously, this is getting annoying."

"Call it payback for you being annoying for two days."

She sighed but nodded her head, "Okay fine."

He waited another minute before he pulled his hand away. "All right. Count to three and open them."

"Three?"

Don laughed, "Emma!"

"Okay, geez. When I surprise you I'm going to have to--oh _wow_.."

He grinned, watching as she cut herself off when she opened her eyes. They were situated out front of a fairly large, white Victorian-style house. Across the street they could see the marina and after that, the blue-green water of the Great South Bay. She turned towards him, her mouth dropped open, "What in the world did you do?"

He shrugged his shoulders, turning off the engine before moving to get out. "C'mon, let's go get checked in."

Emma stared at him as he got out of the SUV, shutting the door before walking around to the back to get their bags. Finally she moved and slowly got out, staring up at the house. To be honest, she hadn't done much traveling of the state of New York. She knew her way around Manhattan and where she grew up, but that was about it. She knew a few other places and knew one way to get there but obviously, she'd been missing out on some of the other places. He walked around towards her with a grin, "so figure out where we are yet?"

She shook her head, still looking around. "Um..no. Are we even still _in_ New York?"

"Yeah. We're about a two hours from home." He grinned, slinging one of his arms around her shoulders, "Welcome to the Hamptons."

She let out a squeal, "shut up! How did you afford this? Can you afford this?"

He flinched, pulling away to rub at his ear. "Thanks I'm deaf now." He motioned for her to follow him and carried their bags up towards the front door, "let's just say someone owed me a favor but yes, I can afford it. Don't worry. We're here to relax and have fun."

Emma laughed, hurrying after him as she looked over every inch of the house and landscaping as it was revealed. "This is amazing..I've never been to the Hamptons. I mean, I've read about it and seen stuff about it on tv but I never imagined. Did you use some..like, drug money or something to afford this?" Of course, she was kidding for the most part.

Don stopped, looking back at her, "What are you talking about? I think someone's watched too many cop shows."

"Hey some of that has to have a little bit of truth to it." She grinned teasingly, leaning up on her tip-toes enough to press a kiss against his cheek, "thank you for this."

He got that goofy look on his face again but just pulled away from her, motioning for her to follow him, "C'mon. I want to go explore and all that."

* * *

Their room was large, complete with a fireplace and a king-sized bed. There was even a private deck that overlooked the bay and part of the waterways . They'd also been told by the woman who ran the bed and breakfast that the bathroom was the largest in the house, complete with a whirlpool tub. Emma could've sworn she saw the older woman give them a wink as she explained that last part but ignored it, although she spotted Don with that damn grin on his face again. She'd elbowed him (gently) in the ribs before grabbing her bag, starting for the stairs.

Once inside the room they took their time unpacking their things and exploring the room. Emma was nearly bouncing around as she found the deck, gushing over the view that they had from the room, then going into the bathroom and exclaiming about the amount of room it had in it. Of course, Don had to remember that the two of them lived in probably the smallest apartments in New York City so this one room was like having an entire house to them. He sat on the edge of the bed, watching as she looked through anything and everything she could get her hands on. Eventually though, she looked over and caught him looking at her and raised an eyebrow, "Can I help you?"

He shook his head, "Nope. Just watching.."

"Watching what?"

"You." He grinned, "So you like it?"

She nodded as she walked towards him, eventually sitting down next to him, "I do. It's so...so cute. I've never been to anything like this. Seriously, how'd you think of this? Especially now."

Don laughed as he laid back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. "I don't know. I'd thought about getting away for a weekend for awhile. It's kinda hard to go out on a date when I'm working constantly, you know."

"Oh really? I had no idea!"

"Smartass," He said, lifting his head to look up at her. "Anyway. So I might've mentioned it to Stella one afternoon. She suggested a bed and breakfast-type place. So I looked around some, actually got a recommendation from Mac."

She laid back next to him, "I'll have to remember to thank them when we get back."

He smiled, "I thought you might need some 'mental health' days anyway. Get you back to sleeping normally."

"Don.."

"Don't act like it's not true. I know you don't sleep, or you don't sleep well. Every night I've been at your place, you wake up about 3 or 4 in the morning and I doubt you go back to sleep," He said as he watched her face.

Emma frowned, having not known that he'd been aware of her waking up in the middle of the night and crawling out of bed. She knew if she laid there that she'd just wake him up in the end. Not wanting to do that, she always ended up getting out of bed and wandering around the apartment. "I didn't know you knew that.."

"I also know that you still have that nightmare. Don't you?" He didn't ask it in a way that was accusatory, but in a tone that was soft and comforting.

She was still for a moment before nodding her head. "Yeah..I do. It's always the same thing though." She was always running through the woods or a forest, bare foot. She could feel the gravel under her feet, digging in and cutting her. She could always hear footsteps behind her and sometimes feel a hand grab her. She always woke up, her heart pounding and covered in sweat. That was usually when she got out of bed and wandered her apartment, usually crashing on the couch with the tv on.

Don turned on his side to face her, one of his hands reaching out to push a strand of hair out of her face, "Well this is why we came here. To relax and have fun and hopefully get this nightmare thing out of your head."

She smiled, closing her eyes at his touch. "I think that sounds like a perfect idea."

"Yeah, I have those every once in awhile. You know, in case you hadn't noticed." He grinned teasingly, leaning over enough to kiss her.

She laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck, "I have noticed thank you very much!"

"Good, good. You'd better notice every once in awhile." He laid back on the bed, stretching his arms up over his head, "so..what should we do for the rest of the day?"

"Good question. It's still too cold to go jump in the water or anything. We could go walk around, explore a little?" Emma moved to sit up, glancing back at him, "I don't care to be honest."

He nodded, sitting up after a moment. Don leaned over enough to kiss the top of her head before he stood from the bed, "sounds good to me. Let's go find what this place has to offer, maybe grab something to eat."

"Oh you are speaking my language when you mention food," She said as she watched him walk over towards the double doors that led out to the private deck. "I need to change clothes, I guess.."

"I don't know, I think you look pretty good right now."

Emma just shook her head as she got up, reaching for her bag. She pulled it onto the bed, opening it up to dig through the clothes she'd packed. Of course Emma packed way more than one person would need for a weekend, but a girl had to have options right? She didn't know exactly where they were going so she'd packed just about everything she could fit in one bag. "I am not looking good right now, I wore about the crappiest clothes since I knew we'd be in the car."

"So? Just wear..whatever. We don't need to get all dressed up to go look around the place and walk around." He stepped outside the doors, "just get ready and we'll go."

"Okay!" Grabbing some jeans and a top, Emma grabbed her cell phone out of her purse and ducked into the bathroom to change. She dialed a number, holding the phone up to her ear as she worked on trying to change into her jeans without falling over and killing herself.

"Hello?"

"It's about time you answered!"

Aiden laughed on the other end, "I'm sorry Emma, I got your other calls but I've been busy with stuff."

"How are you?" She'd called Aiden a few times since finding out she'd been fired but hadn't gotten an answer yet. Mostly Emma just wanted to make sure she was okay with everything.

"I'm good, I'm good."

"Are you sure?"

Aiden laughed again, "I'm fine. It was for the best, really. Now you all have got to quit calling me, asking if I'm okay."

Emma leaned back against the door, "I know. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay."

"Yeah, I've got some other stuff going on. I'll be okay. So what's going on? I heard something from Danny that you and Flack were going out of town."

"He took me to the Hamptons. The _Hamptons_, Aiden. Can you believe it?" She was pretty much on the verge of giggling or something else just as 'girly'.

Aiden nearly shrieked on the other end of the phone, "He took you to the fuckin' Hamptons! Tell that jerk he's been holding out on us, he's been hiding some money somewhere!"

She laughed, "That's pretty much what I said."

"Oh you have got to take pictures and tell me everything when you get back. Maybe we can meet up for lunch or something?"

Emma smiled, standing as she moved to look around the bathroom again. The bathtub was huge, probably big enough for more than two people. "We'll definitely have to meet up for lunch when we get back."

"Yeah call me next week, I need to talk to you about something anyway. I might need your help."

"Sounds good, I'll give you a call. I'd better finish changing before Don starts wondering if I fell in.."

Aiden laughed, "Yes, go and have a good time. Tell him I'm impressed too, he's never done anything like this with any of his other girlfriends."

"I know! I was just thinking I didn't remember him doing anything like this with his past girlfriends. I've gotta rub this in a little, maybe use it to my advantage."

"You do that, let me know how it goes. I'll talk to you later?"

"Sure, have a good weekend."

"You do the same, you both deserve a weekend away from the drama."

Emma closed up her phone after saying her goodbye to Aiden. That'd been the first time she'd gotten a hold of the other woman, and while she'd said she was okay Emma was fairly certain that she wasn't completely okay. She'd lost a job she loved, that would have to weigh heavily on her. Emma shook her head as she finished changing her clothes and exited the bathroom. Don was sitting on the bed, flipping through some generic magazine that'd been lying on the night table. He looked up when she walked out of the bathroom, "I was beginning to think you ran away.."

"Through what, the window? I doubt I could fit through there," She said as she tossed her phone into her purse.

Don stood from the bed, "You could if you really wanted to get away."

"Now why would I want to get away when you've never done anything like this for any other girlfriend?"

He laughed, swinging one of his arms around her shoulders before pulling her towards the door, "Maybe you're special."

And as the two of them left to go explore the area and see what it had to offer, she couldn't help but think that she _was_ special. After all, no one else had thought to bring her to a place like this so that had to mean something.

* * *

_AN: Sorry for the lack of updates this weekend. Between mass projects that are due this upcoming week and a baby shower, I couldn't really sit down and get this out in a timely manner. But I made it a little longer than normal so hopefully that makes up for it a little bit ;) so did all of us D/L shippers out there like last week's episode? _

_Also, the next chapter most likely won't be posted until Tuesday night sometime. I've got another project to finish so I'm assuming I'll be rushing to get that done tomorrow night because I am the world's biggest procrastinator :) _

_The Little Corinthian: I am still not sure what Angel's part is going to be in the show. But I still don't think I like her :-/ She's too much like Aiden in my opinion. Did you like the last episode? I thought it was much better than the season premiere._

_sanza-reload: They can be even more cuter than THIS chapter lol just..trying not to be too cheesy on it :-x _

_sparkyCSI: haha I know what it's like to have 2-3 other stories floating around (in my head, on paper, on the computer, etc etc). It's frustrating, I've got a one-shot floating around in my head that I might write but wait to post. Maybe lol. _

_demolished-soul: You know, I keep forgetting about Vicaro and the others! They should bring some of them back, but Peyton didn't bother me as much in this last episode. I'm still slightly un-decided on Angel, though I'm leaning towards not liking her still. I can't wait for Wednesday, it looks like another good episode!_

_truebluepatfan12: aw thank you for thinking that this is the best story, that means a LOT! I honestly can't believe I'm up to this many chapters & this many reviews!_

_meadow567: it definitely seems like the hours drag by on Wednesday. That's one of my long days at work so I'm usually sitting at my desk counting down until 5 p.m. when I can go home, then try to entertain myself until CSI:NY comes on!_

_ilovemygelding: I would definitely like some flowers from Flack (which, sounds like the name of a company lol Flowers by Flack. ahem. late, need sleep). But yes, everyone needs a vacation every once in awhile!_


	43. Chapter 43

He was having what had to be the strangest dream he'd _ever_ had. He had no idea why Danny was in his dream but he could guess why Emma would be there, she'd been in them enough lately as it was. But why Danny was there? No clue. To make matters worse, it didn't help that Danny was stealing Emma away. What gave him the right? How dare he! But yet, there went Emma off with Danny to do God knows what and where.

His chest felt constricted, and he felt like he was having to gasp for air. Suddenly his blue eyes popped open and he found himself not in his apartment, but in the room of the bed and breakfast he'd gotten them for the weekend. Don sat up quickly, his heart nearly pounding out of his chest. She stirred next to him, rolling over to face him better. Her sleepy eyes met his and she sat up, looking a little alarmed. "Don?"

He felt like an idiot. It'd all been a dream. A stupid dream. He shook his head, forcing a small smile, "sorry..I didn't mean to wake you up."

It'd been a peaceful sleep for her at least. Probably the first in awhile. They'd gone out exploring around the little town and found a restaurant to eat dinner at. Both were stuffed by the time they came back to their room. TV held their attention for a little while before Emma was sound asleep, curled up under the covers. And then he'd gone and ruined it, damnit.

Emma yawned and moved to lay back down, "did you have a bad dream?"

"No. I mean, it was more weird than bad." Don finally did the same and laid back, feeling his heart beat return to a somewhat normal pace.

She immediately moved to curl up against him, sighing when she felt his arms wrap around her. "Wanna talk about it?"

Yeah right, that wasn't going to happen. Plus he couldn't even remember exactly what it was about. Just that Danny had appeared, used whatever "charm" he thought he had and then stole Emma away from him. And that sounded really stupid to Don. He knew it'd sound just as ridiculous to her. He leaned over, kissing her forehead, "Nah it was nothin'. Promise."

She just nodded, already on her way back to dreamland.

* * *

The next time he woke, he found the room bathed in a light orange glow as the sun continued its ascent into the sky. He stretched out, still feeling a tad ridiculous for the dream he'd had. He had to remember, he did introduce Emma and Danny in hopes of setting them up but that the two had fallen into more of a brother/sister relationship than anything else. Plus, Don knew he could trust both of them.

He glanced over, expecting to find Emma still next to him. But the other side of the bed was empty. He frowned and moved to sit up, glancing around the room. Okay, it was a pretty big room but it's not like she could completely disappear. His muscles pulled and moaned their displeasure at moving as he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood. For some reason he was feeling more and more like an old man every day. _'Not good for someone not yet in their 40's,' _He thought as he stretched his arms over his head, hearing his arms and shoulders pop. Yes, Don was turning into an old man. Damnit.

He found her after a bit of searching (though the deck door being open was a big hint) and slipped out behind her. She was leaning on the railing, watching quietly as the sun rose. In the not so far distance, a few boats were heading out on the bay for their day's work. The first thing he noticed was how utterly quiet it was. He'd been used to the city noises for far too long that it was strange to be away from it all. It'd been like that when the two of them went to Georgia. He had a hard time falling asleep; it was way too quiet! Emma glanced back at him when she heard him step out onto the deck. He'd been trying to be quiet but for someone well over 6 feet tall, being quiet was a tad difficult sometimes. She smiled, leaning back against him as he slipped his arms around her from behind. How they'd fallen into this slightly lovey-dovey relationship, neither of them knew. All they knew was that it was _nice_.

Don rested his chin on top of her head, "so..having fun?"

She laughed, "I just like getting up early sometimes and watching everything wake up." Emma turned to look up at him with a grin on her face, "plus you snore."

He scoffed at that, playfully glaring at her as he pulled away. Don moved to the other side of the deck, leaning over the railing to see what was down below. "I do not snore, thank you very much."

"Oh whatever!" She laughed, "you really do snore. But I figured you must've been sleeping pretty hard right about that time, so I let it slide. This time."

He shrugged his shoulders, still leaning over the railing about as far as one could get without falling completely over. "Whatever you say. I'm just gonna agree with you."

She leaned against the railing, watching him carefully. It was always a bit nervewracking when someone was leaning over a railing or staircase. Of course, every bad scenario ran through her mind. What if he fell over? It wasn't _that_ far of a drop but still a person could get seriously hurt if the railing broke or he fell over or...okay, she really had to stop. She shook her head, glancing over the edge wearily before moving away from it some. "So what were you dreaming about last night? You jerked and nearly took the bed with you."

Of course he knew she was going to ask about it. It was just a part of Emma's slight nosey-ness, and he knew she'd be a little more than curious. After all, he wasn't usually the one to be affected by too many things. Years in the NYPD had seen to that. He smiled as he looked over at her, "It's nothing, I swear."

"Are you sure? You looked pretty...alarmed."

"It was a stupid dream. A really stupid dream." He laughed, "It was completely out there. I don't even want to tell you about it, you'll laugh your ass off."

Emma gave him a look but moved to go back into the room. "If you say so. Are you hungry? I read that this place has breakfast...which should be here in a little while."

He nodded, following in behind her, "Of course I'm hungry. That's like asking if the sky's blue, the answer is always yes."

She laughed, "I know. I'm going to shower..want to head out after that?"

Don shot her a grin as he sat back on the bed, "I could always join you, you know."

"Mmhmm, you'd like that too much." She opened her bag, digging through the clothes she'd brought with her, "and you might be disappointed if you saw me naked."

He snorted, "Do you really believe that?"

"Oh that's right, you don't date ugly people." Emma grinned teasingly, leaning over enough to press her lips against his.

He laughed, grabbing her by the hips to pull her closer. "What's that supposed to mean!"

"One time in high school, we were at some party and you drunkenly told me that you don't date ugly people," She said barely concealing a giggle.

"And you remember that? After all this time?"

She nodded as she slipped away from him, "yep. I remember a lot of things. Apparently, I have a better memory than you do."

"Possibly." He smiled, "But fine. Go shower by yourself. I'll just wait here like a good gentleman."

Emma laughed as she walked towards the bathroom. "I will thoroughly enjoy my shower, thank you very much. Maybe if you're lucky, _later_ you can shower with me."

The grin grew on his face at that. "You better not be teasing me.."

She just laughed again, disappearing into the bathroom. He laid back on the bed as he listened to the water turn on. He had no idea where the whole 'showering together' thing had come from. Don couldn't lie and say he wouldn't jump at the chance, he was obviously attracted to Emma. And she seemed to be obviously attracted to him. He rubbed a hand over his face, covering up a yawn as he let his eyes close. She was teasing without even trying. Damn her.

* * *

_AN: I'll get to your all's reviews later when I'm not half-asleep. I do apologize for this being more than a couple days late than I said it'd be. This week was a bit more crazy school-wise than I anticipated. But I've got the next few days off (yay!) so I will hopefully be able to write a ton more. Ch. 44 will probably be up Saturday. It's already running through my head ;) And can I just say that I hate not having my story at the Season 3 point yet? I'm liking this season more and more, I don't know about you all. Lost was also pretty good but that's another ramble for another time. Enjoy the chapter and enjoy your Saturday!_


	44. Chapter 44

Don managed to doze off while Emma was in the shower, waking up only when he heard the door open a little while later. He opened one eye, watching as she came out wearing jeans and a white tank top. Her hair was still wet, hanging down her back. He'd never noticed how wavy her hair was but it was definitely wavy while it was wet. He sat up and moved off the bed, moving towards her until he was close enough to wrap his arm around her waist from behind. Emma smiled and leaned against him as she rummaged through the little bag that held all her make-up. "I thought you were asleep over there."

He pressed a kiss against the side of her neck, closing his eyes as he inhaled the scent of the shampoo and whatever soap she used. He smiled against her skin, tightening his arm around her, "Not totally asleep."

Emma shivered a little involuntarily, nodding her head. "Shouldn't you get in the shower? I mean, if you want to go grab something to eat.."

"You trying to get rid of me?"

She laughed. "Yes, that's exactly it Don. I want you to get away from me because you're obviously gross and ew, you need to shower."

He laughed as he tried to look hurt and wounded, as if she'd actually hurt his feelings. He pressed another kiss against her neck before finally pulling away, "I do need to shower I guess."

"Finally!"

"I do not smell!" He exclaimed as he walked over to his bag that was still lying on the floor.

"Mmhm, so you think. You don't have to be around _you _all day."

Don reached out, poking her in the side with his index finger as he made his way past her. "No girlfriend has ever complained before!"

"They were being polite. Although I'm surprised that Christianna didn't whine and complain." She yelped and turned long enough to swat at his hand, "Watch it buddy."

He laughed, looking back at her. "I'm surprised she didn't whine and complain _more_ than she did. I'll be out in ten minutes."

* * *

Their one full day in the Hamptons was spent mostly out on the beach, even though it was still too chilly to be out in the water. They explored around the little shopping areas, although Emma was quickly finding that a lot of the stores were too expensive for her to buy anything. Unless, of course, she didn't want to look at her bank account for the next six months. Don was having a good time just watching as Emma took in everything around them. She had her ever-present camera stuck in her bag and took what seemed to be a million pictures of the beach and the ocean. They ducked into a small touristy shop late in the afternoon. It was filled with the usual tourist souvenirs and trinkets and since they were on vacation (albeit a short one), Emma had to buy things for her mother and anyone else she could think of.

She laughed, holding up a shotglass with some cheesy saying on it. "I had no idea they sold these in the Hamptons, of all places. I thought this place was classy!"

Don leaned over to read the message on the glass before snorting, "We should get that for Danny. Or no, get it for Mac!"

"He'd probably kill you if you bought him something like that. Plus, it fits Joel better than Danny or Mac."

"Hmm..true. We should get that for him then."

Emma shook her head, pushing him towards the door, "No no. We can't get our friends cheesy things. Well, we can but they have to be good cheesy things."

Sighing, he stepped out into the sunlight that was just beginning to fade over the horizon. "Okay fine. No bad-cheesy things. We'll have to find something on the way out of town tomorrow."

She nodded, slipping her hand into his once they were back on the sidewalk. The streets and stores weren't very crowded and hadn't been all day, mostly because it was still the off-season so most of the tourists were gone. They'd had such a nice day that it was hard to believe they were going to have to leave the next day and return to their normal lives. She had a feeling with him taking a few days off that he'd have to work even more, which meant Emma wouldn't see him for what felt like forever. It was hard to go back to normal life when she wanted to stay in the little world, in the little bed and breakfast they'd been in for barely 24 hours.

She sighed softly as the continued to walk, drawing Don's attention. "What's wrong?" He asked as they crossed one of the streets.

"Nothing." Emma smiled, shaking her head, "I just can't believe we gotta go home tomorrow."

"I know, I know. We gotta go back to the real world." He swung his arm around her shoulders and then kissed the top of her head, "we'll have to do something like this another time though, you know?"

"Really? You'd want to?"

"Yeah sure. Of course, next time it might need to be for longer."

She laughed, "I completely agree."

* * *

It was funny how the night before that sleep had been so easy for the both of them. Sure Don had woken in the middle of the night from a weird dream but Emma had been sleeping soundly. But now that they were on the eve of leaving, both were having the worst trouble sleeping. He would roll over and nearly take all the covers with him. Then he would lay still for about five minutes, then Emma would do the same thing. Eventually she laughed and sat up in bed, "Okay we can't sleep..at all."

He looked over at her, "I know. Sorry I keep stealing the covers."

She laid back down, curling up against him as he pushed some of the blankets back towards her. Neither had any idea what time it was, just that it was well past midnight and neither had slept much at all so far. "It's okay but I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who's having trouble sleeping."

He rolled over and slid an arm around her, pulling her back against him. "I think I just don't want to have to go back to work." He laughed, resting his chin on her shoulder, "that's bad huh?"

"No, I completely understand. It's easy to forgot about 'normal' life when you go on vacation," She said as she settled back against him.

"I love my job. I just like getting to spend time with you more.."

Emma smiled, "Oh such the sweet talker."

"I know, right?" He moved to lay his head against the pillow, "I tend to have good pick-up lines every once in awhile."

"Yeah I think I've heard them all. Especially when you're drunk."

He laughed, "Smartass."

"Of course! And you've known it for years." She grinned and rolled onto his stomach, turning her head to look at him.

Don just nodded, his eyes finally starting to get to the heavy point where he was just about asleep. She sighed a little in envy, as she wasn't feeeling the least bit tired. It didn't help that she'd slept great the night before; no nightmares or anything. And now she was a little afraid to go back to 'normal' because what if the nightmares came back? She was beginning to cherish the nights when they didn't happen, especially since those night seemed few and far between as of late. Finally though long after Don had fallen asleep, she moved closer to him and curled up against him again. Her eyes finally closed a short while after that as she finally found some much-needed sleep. And, with no nightmares.

* * *

_AN: sorry for the lack of updates over the weekend :-/ Writer's block sucks! So I'm trying to make up for it a bit by posting 2 chapters at once. They're a little short though but I'm trying to get to where I've got it in my head (seriously, my muse is fast forwarding and it's frustrating lol). I've got some time off this week though so I'm hoping to update more frequently for a bit. So, enjoy! And thanks for all the reviews! By the way, if I missed mentioning you below don't take it personally, I'm being bad and working on this from work!_

_Pippabella: I know! I'll try to update so you don't have any more withdrawl symptoms, that's just not good!_

_sanzo-reload: Don has weird dreams sometimes, he's insecure about some things. He'll just never admit it ;)_

_demolished-soul: Yeah I often have dreams that make no sense whatsoever so I wake up going "Uh...what?" I mean, I had one once where I was in Jurassic Park..lol I'd love to know the meaning behind that one!_

_meadow567: thanks! I do too. I'm always teasing with my guy friends anyway (it probably borders on flirting but nope, they're like my brothers :-x)_

_bubble-rouge08: there might have to be a shower scene later. MIND OUT OF GUTTER, ahem. But yes, I do like the lovey-dovey feeling between them, I just don't want it to go overboard and be all..ew cheesy._

_sparkyCSI: yay fluff! His subconscious needs to quit being such a dork, that's what._

_The Little Corinthian: I agree, the episodes are getting better. You know, I didn't even notice the lack of Peyton and Angel until after the show was over and I was like "hey wait a minute.."I am hoping Flack gets more screen time this season (Hawkes has gotten a TON so far), I think they will have to go into detail about what happened to him last season...they'd be stupid to avoid it in my opinion. _


	45. Chapter 45

The drive back to the city was quiet and seemed to go by too quickly. Sunday had dawned bright, sunny and cool. Emma had woken early to pack up her things while Don slept soundly in bed. It'd been so nice to get away, she halfway wished they could stay there a few more days just to relax with each other. She made a mental note to remind him they should come back in the summer, when it'd be warm enough to stay out on the beach all day. She got them both coffee from downstairs (thanks to the older woman who ran the place) and sat outside on the deck until Don finally woke up and joined her.

They were both pretty quiet as they showered (seperately) and finished packing their things. They'd been so caught up in their own little world that it was hard to remember what had been going on back home. But, all good things must come to an end. Even if they didn't want it too.

Emma sat in the passenger side, staring out the window at the traffic as it got worse and worse as they got closer to the city. She turned to look out the front windshield as the city skyline came into view. It was still breathtaking, even after all these years. She remembered driving into the city with her mom for the first time and being absolutely terrified of what the city held. Of course, she'd heard horror stories of muggings and murders happening all over the place. Those had mostly come from her grandmother, meaning to scare the hell out of her. But it was exciting to see all the buildings, all the lights. She'd been used to being able to see the stars at night but in New York, that had been harder to do. A part of her was happy to be back in the city, even though she'd enjoyed her stay in the Hamptons immensely. She'd grown to love the city, even though traffic was often horrendous and sometimes bad things happened. As a kid, she never thought she'd love the place.

She smiled, looking over at him, "do you ever get excited when you come back to the city? Like, feel the butterflies in your stomach?"

"Sometimes," He nodded. "But gotta remember, I don't get out of it as much. It is nice to see the skyscrapers though."

"The concrete jungle. Never thought I'd miss it."

He laughed, "Why?"

"I don't know. I just never thought I'd _like_ living in New York. When I first moved here, I was sure that my mom and I were going to get mugged and killed within five minutes of moving in."

He blinked, turning to glance at her. "Emma.."

"Hey my grandmother scared the hell out of me before we left Georgia." She shook her head, "Seriously she wanted to put the fear of God in me and I think it worked."

Don laughed again, turning his attention back to the road. "But now you know better."

"Very true. I love it. I actually miss the noise when it's not there." She smiled again, looking out the passenger side window again. Traffic had gotten heavier but she knew they'd be back in their apartments before they knew it. "You know we're going to have to go to that place again, one of these days."

"Yeah it was nice."

"Maybe in the summer?"

He nodded, "Summer would be good." A grin formed on his face, "I'd get to see you in a bikini."

Don yelped as she punched him in the shoulder, grumbling "sexist pig" but still had a smile on her face.

* * *

Going back to work seemed like a drag to Don. But Monday morning had come way too quickly and soon he was back behind his desk. That didn't last too long before he was out on a call with Stella. Even though it seemed to be a drag, part of him was glad to be back. He got antsy if he wasn't working.

Stella looked him over before grinning, "So I hear you and Emma went away."

He groaned inwardly. Women definitely talked. And he knew Emma had talked to Aiden at some point over the weekend. He nodded, keeping his eyes on the road in front of him as he weaved in and out of traffic on the way to the crime scene. "Yep. Went up to the Hamptons."

"I'm really going to have to find me a guy to take _me_ to the Hamptons. Hey, think Emma would mind if I borrowed you for a weekend?"

He laughed, "Nah not too much at least."

"Was it nice?"

"Yeah it was a real nice place, big house with a pool. Right across the road from the beach. The place wasn't crowded at all." He shrugged, "I think Emma enjoyed it. She'd never been."

Stella smiled, "you are so trying to stop from grinning like a big idiot!"

"I am not!" He looked over at her momentarily, "It was fun. That's it."

She laughed, "Mmhmm. Whatever you say Flack."

He just shook his head, knowing it was futile to even try to reason with Stella. And okay, it might have even been true.

* * *

Emma stared at Aiden, unsure if she'd just heard the other woman correctly. She blinked a couple of times before leaning over the table, "Okay..what did you just say?"

"Well I'm going to be working towards my P.I license--" She started before Emma cut her off.

"Okay great, then what did you say?"

"I want to nail Pratt. By his balls if at all possible. And I want you to help me."

"Help you do _what_? Aiden, isn't this illegal?"

"Not if I can give them the evidence they need to get him. Look," Aiden leaned towards Emma before lowering her voice, "you want him out there, doing the same thing or worse to other women?"

"No of course not." Emma sighed, rubbing a hand over her face. "I just don't know how I can help."

"You're a damn photographer. And a good one at that. So I want you to help me with surveillance, that's all." She shrugged as if it was no big deal. And it might not have been a big deal but to Emma, that sounded like the last thing she wanted to do.

"Will I have to go near him?"

"No. We just need to figure out where he's at, who he's watching. I can do the rest from there."

Emma nodded finally, this didn't sound like a good idea but...she did want to help. And, Aiden knew what she was doing. "Okay. I'll help you out."

Aiden smiled, "Good. I'm glad you said yes. I'll show you everything that I've gotten so far at my apartment."

"I guess you're going to tell me next that I can't tell Flack, right?"

"Not yet. Not until we've got some concrete evidence that I can show them." Aiden shrugged a shoulder, sitting back as the waiter brought out their lunch. "Plus you and I both know he'd hit the roof."

That was for damn sure. He'd throw a fit if he knew Aiden was messing with Pratt, but it would be even worse if he found out his girlfriend was too. Emma laughed softly as she took a drink of her soda, "While watching him throw a tantrum is pretty entertaining, I don't think it'd be a good idea to tell him right now."

"Exactly. I've seen him get pissed off and I don't think I want to be on the other end of his anger." Aiden picked at her sandwich, "thanks..for doing this Emma."

"No problem. I want to get him as much as you do. I'm just sorry you got fired.."

She smiled a little wryly, "Yeah. Me too."


	46. Chapter 46

He wasn't surprised when he found out that a new CSI had been hired. They needed a full team and with Aiden gone, they were down a man. That meant that he started seeing CSI's that looked more and more exhausted as each shift passed. Danny was not a happy camper about there being a new person on their team. In fact, he was down right pissed off about it. Don had heard an earful from the other man when Danny called him, nearly ranting and raving that Mac had hired some new person to replace Aiden. Of course Aiden wasn't the type of person to just be replaced, but even he felt it was a little strange. He'd been used to working cases alongside Aiden and how he was going to have to get used to a new person all over again.

Even Emma had been on the receiving end of one of Danny's tirades about the new CSI. He'd called Don's cell phone one evening that he slept over and Emma had answered the phone. He was angry, mad that Aiden had been seemingly replaced so quickly. He didn't know the person's name, just that she was female and from out West somewhere. Emma tried to placate him but he was too far gone, too mad to really listen. But even she had to admit, she was surprised that Aiden's spot had been filled so fast. She filled Aiden in on what little she knew of the new CSI but for someone who had lost their job not so long ago, she didn't seem horribly bothered by it.

The first case Don was called out on with the new CSI involved a man and a tiger cage. Not many things made his stomach turn but, seeing bits and pieces of what used to be a middle aged man made him feel a little queasy. He had to look away a few times as he followed Mac and Danny, identifying a finger here or a hunk of other flesh there. The tiger was tranquilized just as he spotted a young woman coming towards their crime scene. He was in the middle of taking a statement from one of the zoo workers when she approached, asking for Mac Taylor. God, she looked _green_. Had she even seen a crime scene before? But he didn't say much, didn't even introduce himself (not that he had time to though). After all, this woman was taking Aiden's spot. He didn't want to make it too easy on her.

And neither did Danny. He had to hide his laughter when he overheard Danny telling the new CSI, Monroe or something, to call Mac 'sir'. Mac _hated _being called 'sir', it was too formal for the former-Marine. Danny was definitely not going to make this easy. But they all got initiated at one point or another. All's fair in love and war.

It'd been a long shift, a long couple of days actually. He'd been taking every free opportunity to sleep over at Emma's apartment, telling her it was closer to work. That might've been true but not by all that much. Really, he just liked her bed. It was big and comfortable to sleep on. And it helped that she'd taken to curling up next to him under the covers. And even as tired as he usually was when he finally crawled in for a few hour's sleep, he usually found himself watching her sleep. The way her hair fell around her shoulders and back, the way her eyelashes fluttered with whatever dream she was having. He couldn't help but touch her; memorizing every inch of her face, taking the time to wrap a strand of her dark hair around his finger. And somehow, Emma never woke up during this. Usually she moved closer to him as if she just couldn't get close enough.

He reached her apartment just as she finished dinner, something she'd taken to doing when she knew he'd be over. That night it was spaghetti and garlic bread. He immediately shrugged off his jacket and kicked off his shoes. All of this just screamed 'domesticated' to him and while usually he didn't think he'd ever want the type of girlfriend (or wife) that always had dinner on the table when he got home, it was pretty nice. It wasn't that he was a commitment-phobe, he actually really hadn't thought about settling down before.

He shook his head as he walked into the kitchen, he couldn't really think about all that without talking about all that and then he was sure he'd scare his girlfriend off. After all, Don had never felt _serious_ about any of his previous girlfriends. And the last thing he wanted to do was run Emma off, someone who'd been there through thick and thin.

Instead, Don leaned in to press a kiss against the side of her neck and slipped his arms around her. She was wearing a tank top and a pair of jeans that looked like they'd seen better days. Of course it was a pretty sloppy outfit and on anyone else he probably would've thought it so but on her? On her he liked it. A lot. She smiled as she turned head to look up at him, "Everything's ready but the garlic bread. It's still got five minutes."

He nodded before kissing her properly. "Met the new CSI," He mumbled into the kiss.

She laughed softly as she pulled back, knowing full well that both Don and Danny were none too happy about the newest female CSI. "How is she?"

He shrugged as he moved towards the fridge, finding himself something to drink. "Dunno, didn't see too much of her really. She seems okay though. Danny had it out for her."

"Uh oh." Emma shook her head, sometimes guys had the tendency to act like such children no matter their actual age. "What'd he do?"

"Eh, just seems to be picking on her really. But we do it to everyone. Hell, even Hawkes gets it sometimes."

"Well be nice to her. If she just moved here, like Danny was saying that one night on the phone, then she probably doesn't know anyone."

He snorted, grabbing a couple of plates out from the cabinet over her head. "Yeah, sure."

"Don I'm serious!" Emma reached back, elbowing him just slightly in the ribs, "You all are so damn mean."

"Hey she took Aiden's spot."

"Hey, Aiden got _fired_. Jackass."

He rolled his eyes but didn't say anything else about it as he got the plates and set them down. "Need me to do anything else?"

"No. I got it," Emma answered quietly. She turned her back to him as the oven timer went off and she put a oven mitt on one hand, pulling the pan of garlic bread out.

Two arms slipped around her shoulders and a pair of lips pressed their way onto her cheek, then her jawline and eventually that spot on her neck that she so enjoyed (but also hated at the same time). He sighed, "I'm sorry. It was a long shift. I'll be nice to her."

"We all know Danny won't be."

"Nah, he doesn't mean it in a malicious way." He shrugged his shoulders the best he could, "don't be mad."

"I'm not. I just can imagine how you all can act towards her."

Another kiss on her neck, although this time it felt more like a bite and sure enough, Emma could feel his smirk against her skin. "I'll play nice, I swear." He mumbled.

Her eyes slipped closed some and one of her hands nearly came down on the hot pan but fortunately, missed it by a few inches. She smiled, "dinner is ready you know."

"Yeah and?"

She laughed softly, "you're horrible. You know _that_, right?"

"Oh come on now." His hands slid down her arms, "you know you like me making out with you way more than dinner.."

She turned towards him, although it took a little doing since they were in such close proximity anyway. "I don't know Don, I'm pretty hungry. I mean, I made spaghetti for goodness sakes!"

He laughed as he moved his hands to her hips, slipping them up underneath the tank top she was wearing. "We could always heat it up later," He said before kissing her again.

Emma could feel the grin against her mouth and knew that he'd most likely been planning to completely distract her from making them dinner. Of course, it wasn't like she minded. She shuddered involuntarily as his hands made their way up her bare back. Yes, he was definitely in for distracting her. She pulled back from the kiss first and looked up at him before saying accusingly, "you did that on purpose."

He just grinned. That damn grin that either made her want to slap him silly or kiss him again. He raised one shoulder in a shrug, "I plead the fifth."

"You can't plead the fifth! That's just not allowed." She shook her head, "And don't give me the excuse that you're an NYPD detective."

"I can too!" He shook his head before kissing her again, "fine I wanted to make out with you on purpose. Happy?"

She laughed softly, nodding as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Yes. Very happy, thank you."

Don was about to kiss her again when she pulled her head back and said, "Wait. One more thing."

He rolled his eyes, a little annoyed that he wasn't getting his way right then and there. "Fine, what?"

A slightly evil grin crossed Emma's face as she leaned up on her tip toes, her lips just brushing over his gently, "promise me something."

He sighed, "What?"

"Be nice to the new CSI." She smirked, patting his shoulder before slipping out of his arms.

He groaned loudly, putting his hands on his hips as he turned towards her. "You. Are. Evil."

Emma just shrugged her shoulders as she moved around him, with Don following her every move. She grabbed the plates, nearly running into him when he slid up beside her. She finally started laughing, daring to look up at him. He looked pissed off with his eye narrowed as he looked down at her. She bit her lip, "You look mad.."

He didn't say anything as he reached for the plates, pulling them out of her hand and setting them back down on the counter. "You knew exactly what you were doing," He said lowly.

She raised an eyebrow as she watched him wrap his fingers around her wrist. Don tugged her closer, although his grip on her wrist was rough in any sense of the word. His lips crashed into hers as he slid his free arm around her waist, pulling Emma up closer to him. She hesitated for only a second before her arm wrapped around his neck as she leaned into the kiss. Suddenly dinner didn't seem all that important anymore...


	47. Chapter 47

"Oh good Lord. Did you fall asleep?"

A muffled laugh answered her but the two arms wrapped around her waist tightened, pulling Emma up against his chest. "Okay good. I'm going to take that as a 'no'. Which if you fell asleep, I was going to be pissed off," She said before burying her face against Don's neck.

He shook his head, "I wouldn't fall asleep, give me some credit here."

Something that sounded like a giggle escaped her as she pressed her lips against his neck, "Oh I'll give you credit all right.."

Don laughed loudly, one of his fingers poking into her side teasingly causing her to squeal. He scowled as one of her hands reached up, slapping his shoulder. They were well aware that they were acting like a couple of children but it was better than the whole situation being completely awkward and uncomfortable. She sat up suddenly, taking half the sheet with her, "Oh shit..did I turn off the stove?"

He frowned as he tried to think but at the time, it wasn't like he was exactly thinking about turning off the stove before he'd practically jumped Emma. He shook his head, watching as she very nearly freaked out all the while dressed in just a sheet. He laughed, rubbing a hand over his face. "Uhh I have no idea to be honest."

She gave him a look, trying to at least glare at him a little bit. But it was no use. Instead, Emma leaned over the bed and found the first article of clothing she could get her hands on. It just happened to be Don's shirt from earlier but she pulled it on anyway before climbing out of bed. "You know...if we burned down the apartment building, we'd have a lot of explaining to do.."

He covered a yawn, rolling onto his side as he kept watching her. "I could be like, 'yeah sorry my girlfriend and I got a little uh..distracted and forgot about dinner' and then use the excuse that I'm an NYPD detective.."

She laughed, "Yeah I can totally see you doing that actually. I'll be right back."

He just nodded, closing his eyes as he fell back on the mattress. Emma was humming under her breath as she walked through the apartment, pausing long enough to turn the tv off in the living room before moving into the kitchen. Of course the stove was still on and the spaghetti was smelling a little more than burnt. It was also stuck to the sides and bottom of the ppt she'd been cooking it in but least the building had yet to burn down! She went to work, turning off the stove and throwing the pot into the sink. Dinner was obviously a bust since everything had long since gone cold but it'd be bugging her for the rest of the night if she left everything just lying around. It wasn't helping that her mind was running a million miles a minute. Sleeping with her best male friend hadn't exactly been in the plans...yet. Obviously she was attracted to him. In fact, Emma had been finding herself thinking about him at random times throughout the day. If she happened to be watching the news and there was a story about a robbery or some other crime somewhere in the city, she often wondered if he was on the scene. She wondered if he was at his desk bored out of his mind, or if he was up bugging Danny about their latest basketball game. _'God I am going crazy,'_ She thought absently as she continued to scrub the pot out, dumping the water out into the sink. Honestly, if someone had told her a few years ago that she'd be dating Don, she probably would've laughed in their face. Before it'd just seemed so out there that they would ever be together like _that_. And now they were both acting like giggling school children who'd kissed by their lockers or something just as bad and cheesy.

She finished cleaning in the kitchen before making her way back to the bedroom. He was still on the bed, laying on his back with his eyes closed. Emma smiled as she climbed up on the bed and settled down next to him again. His eyes popped open when the bed shifted and he smiled up at her, "you know...you look really cute in my clothes."

It was then she remembered that she'd thrown on his shirt before going to clean up the mess in the kitchen. She shrugged her shoulders, "Yeah well it was the first piece of clothing I found on the floor. You know, there's a trail of _my_ clothes in the hallway.."

He laughed, "And? That's not so bad."

"No it's just not fair that none of my clothes are in my actual bedroom. And I'm not running around naked in front of you."

He gave her a strange look, "Uh you _are _aware of what we did not all that long ago..right?"

"Of course." Emma laughed, "But it's the principle of the thing. All women are self-conscious someway or another."

He groaned and shook his head. He'd never understand the female species, ever. "If you say so Emma but believe me, if you ever decided to do the running around naked in front of me thing, I don't think I'll mind at all."

She smiled, leaning over enough to press her lips against his. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

Emma climbed over him to change into something she could actually sleep in, glancing back at him. "Do you have anything to sleep in?"

"Yeah, boxers." He covered a yawn, "I swear I keep yawning, sorry."

"I'm boring, I knew it!" She laughed as she climbed back into the bed, turning off the light before lying down next to him again.

"No way. Just a long ass day." He smiled as Emma scooted all the way across the bed to curl her way up next to him.

She sighed softly, "do you think we're moving too fast? I mean, okay...don't give me that look that I know you're giving me even though I can't see it but like...we haven't been dating that long."

She could feel him shift in the bed, one of his arms wrapping around his waist. "No I don't think so. I mean, it's not like we're complete strangers. You know?"

Emma nodded, "Yeah I know. I was just wanting your opinion. Because I...I really like what we're doing."

He smiled, leaning over her enough to kiss her gently before lying back on the bed. "I do too Em."

* * *

_AN: Short chapter, I know! I'm trying really hard not to go totally cheesy with these two but it's hard. So excuse the extreme fluff but they **are **awfully cute. And you all can just use your imaginations because well..yeah :-D I will try to update later on Sunday, just depends on if I get my homework done early enough. _

_demolished-soul: I kinda came into CSI: NY late in Season 2 (I've since seen season 1 and the episodes of season 2 I missed) so I didn't even KNOW Aiden for the longest time. It's taken me a bit to get used to Danny/Lindsay but so far, I've liked how they've dealt with the two of them. And okay, I think they're extremely cute. I did like the way Aiden interacted with everyone though, I grew to like her a lot._

_Italian Rose: you know, I wasn't even totally paying attention to that! I knew better darnit lol I've got it changed in my word file, just need to replace that chapter. I know if I didn't, it'd just bug me. Thanks for the heads up though!_

_meadow567: thank you! To answer your other quesiton, I am bringing in Lindsay. It's just taken me awhile to get to bringing her in. I'm going to stick to the show as far as Lindsay and Aiden go (even though I've grown to love Aiden)._

_sparkyCSI: get your mind outta the gutter, geeeez. No I'm kidding, it can stay there along with mine ;) But yeah, the way I was looking at it was Aiden made a mistake, she needed to take responsibility. And hey someone has to be sensible about Lindsay, lol I could see everyone being a bit weird towards her at first!_

_truebluepatfan12: I try not to be too evil ;) thanks!_

_bubble-rogue08: I had to leave it there, somewhat. I can't write a sex scene to save my life..lol don't hunt me down! then you won't know what happens!_


	48. Chapter 48

_AN: Apologies for not updating in a...well, awhile. School picked up again and seems like it's neverending! (I'm counting down the class periods until winter break, horrible isn't it?) To maybe kinda-sorta make up for it, I'm posting 2 chapters. (but don't hate me after the second one. ahem). Now go read! And have a good Monday evening :)  
_

* * *

Hiding things from Don was something that had never been easy. It'd been difficult to hide the bad haircut she got in eighth grade, even though she'd hid it under a hat for as long as she could. He'd pulled the hat off just playing around and Emma figured that'd be the end of it. After all, back then a horrible haircut was like committing social suicide. Everyone would think she was a total dork! Somehow she obviously hadn't _died_ from the embarrassment of a bad haircut, although it helped that Don hadn't freaked out on her. 

She'd also tried to hide a black eye that she got from her first "serious" boyfriend in her junior year of high school. A date had gone badly and ended with her going home crying. She'd met up with Don the next day for lunch and he could instantly tell something was wrong. She took off the dark sunglasses she wore and immediately she could see the steam coming from his ears. He'd been _pissed_. And the so-called boyfriend had come to school that next Monday looking a little worse for wear. Don had never told her what'd happened but she had a feeling he'd pretty much beat the crap out of the guy.

So hiding things from Don was not an easy task. Plus with him being a detective, he could pretty much just _look_ at her and Emma would crack under the pressure. Emma made it pretty easy though, she tended to get nervous and fidget a lot when she was trying to hide something. Obviously neither wanted their relationship to be built on any sort of lie but Emma knew if she told him that she was helping Aiden out and helping her out meant following DJ Pratt around the city as he worked in various buildings in the city...well, that just wasn't going to end well at all.

Emma met up with Aiden a few times during the next week, going over the places where Pratt had been working lately. One was an apartment building about twenty minutes from where Emma lived. He was doing some paint job, although neither of them had been inside to see how far along he'd come with his "work". He'd been there the past few days though, which meant he most likely had his eye on someone and was trying to get that someone's routine down. At least, that was Aiden's thinking. Emma usually met up with her during her lunch break, going over some of the photos Aiden had acquired. She felt a bit like a stalker, which was creepy in more than one way. It was also mighty uncomfortable to have to follow the guy around as he walked down the street for a pack of cigarettes here or a soda there and do it all without being seen. Emma was sure she'd been seen a couple of times but, if she had Pratt wasn't making it known. She still really had no idea what Aiden was going to do with any of the information they collected, whether she'd give it to Mac or try to take the guy down mid-act herself.

Going home at night after those first few days of working with Aiden had been weird. It'd been hard for Emma not to blurt out every detail to Don. He would ask how her day went and she'd have to almost bite her tongue to stop herself from busting out with "yeah hi, I went around the city following DJ Pratt around as he bought paint thinner and a really ugly color green paint" but always managed to stop herself before she did so, instead going on about the latest drama Luisa had been telling her about.

Don didn't seem to suspect anything and Emma finally began to relax after a few days. In fact, it helped that Don was so pre-occupied with teasing Danny relentlessly about apparently being attracted to the new CSI. Not that Danny would admit to it, he was still being a big baby about everything. Don seemed a little better and didn't seem to be picking on the poor new girl, although from what Emma could gather the new girl could handle herself pretty well. So...maybe this one time she could manage to hide something from him, just this once.

* * *

Emma wandered into the police department one afternoon, having gotten a call from Don to come meet him for a late lunch. She'd been in the neighborhood running errands and made a stop in, looking around for him. She must have looked like a lost little puppy as a female approached her, in fact Emma was so distracted with looking for Don that she nearly ran over the wman who was a tad shorter than her. "Oh goodness, I am so sorry." Emma laughed, trying her best not to feel like such an idiot.

Luckily, the folders that the other woman was carrying didn't fall to the floor and she smiled easily before shaking her head. "Don't worry about it. You just looked a little lost...can I help you with anything?"

"Possibly. I'm looking for Detective Flack."

"Oh! I just saw him heading up to the crime lab. In fact, I'm heading that way."

Emma followed her to the elevator quietly. She had a feeling that this was the new CSI. She definitely seemed a little out of place in the hustle and bustle of New York. They stepped into the elevator and the other woman reached out, pushing the button for the lab. "So..are you a friend of his?"

Emma smiled, "I'm his uh..girlfriend. Well, kind-of..okay yeah, that's not confusing."

She laughed, "No not too confusing or anything. In fact, I think I remember him mentioning you the other day but I'm afraid I don't remember your name."

"Oh! That might help, right? I'm Emma Lewis."

"Lindsay Monroe," She said holding out her hand towards Emma. "Unfortunately, I'm the newbie."

The elevator doors slid open and they both stepped out. Emma made a face, "oh I can imagine you're getting taken through the wringer."

"Not too badly, yet." She smiled, pointing down the hallway. "And Flack was heading that way the last time I saw him."

Emma gave her a smile, instantly deciding that she liked this new CSI. Lindsay might scream _'I am not from New York City'_ but she seemed like she could handle herself. And hey, Emma figured anyone that could put up with Don and Danny had to have a good head on their shoulders.

"Thank you, it was nice to meet you."

Lindsay smiled, shaking her head as she turned to go in the direction of Mac's office, "not a problem. And it was nice to meet you too."

Emma walked down the hallway, smiling when she saw Don come out of one of the labs with Danny behind him. "There you are, I was about to call you to see if you were on your way," Don said when he saw her.

"Yeah well I was on time but _someone_ wasn't at their desk like they told me they'd be."

"I do have work to do, sometimes."

Danny snorted as he reached out to hug Emma, "Mmhmm. If work means talking over last weekend's scores."

She laughed, "Yeah I figured you all were working really hard up here. I met the new CSI too. Don, you didn't tell me she was so cute!"

Don raised an eyebrow, "If I said she was anywhere near to being _cute_ you would've gone all girly on me and swore that I don't think _you're_ cute. Trust me, I've been down that road before. Saying another female is even slightly attractive to your girlfriend is like, asking to be castrated in the middle of the night."

"I've got to remember that one," Danny said with a laugh before clapping him on the shoulder. "I gotta find Stella, I'll catch you two later."

"Bye Danny," Emma said before turning to Don. "She _is _cute."

He laughed before tugging on her hand, "C'mon. I'm starving and my luck, if we don't go now I'll get a call and then...I'll never get to eat."

"And then you'll just waste away?"

"Obviously!" Don pulled her into the elevator, sliding an arm around her shoulders, "having a good day?"

"It's been pretty boring but not too bad. I mean, I do get to go to lunch with a pretty good looking guy." She smiled as she wrapped her arms around his middle, leaning up to kiss him.

He laughed, "Mmhm. I see how it is. You've got a guy on the side."

"Yes. I'm hiding him at my place right now actually. You haven't noticed his clothes lying around or anything?"

He shook his head as the two of them walked out of the elevator, walking towards the doors that lead outside. "No but I'm going to have to do some snooping around, make sure this guy's good for you and all that."

"Mmhmm. I think he's pretty good for me but I am biased." Emma laughed, "So where are we going because I am definitely hungry."


	49. Chapter 49

Emma thought that she was being secretive in keeping the big secret from Don. But she failed to remember that he sometimes knew her better than she even knew herself. So even though _she_ was sure that he had no idea, he definitely knew that something was up. After all, even the slowest person in the world could figure out she was hiding something when she was very vague about her day or why she was spending a massive amount of money on film suddenly. Sure Don knew she loved photography but there had to be a limit. In fact, he was sure that sooner or later she'd be living out of a cardboard box in the alley by her building but Emma would still have her camera! Even though he didn't know what was going on with her, he knew he'd figure it out one way or another.

She was finding it more and more difficult to not let anything slip. She had to make sure that everything was hidden. That meant any notes she'd written on the smallest scrap of paper or any pictures she'd taken. Aiden had most of the things but every now and then Emma would end up finding a picture of Pratt in with her other stuff. Film was beginning to cost her a fortune too, although Aiden was helping out there as much as she could. The two of them were probably going to go broke by the time they had enough stuff on Pratt to nail him to a wall.

Emma took the day off from helping Aiden though. It was a Wednesday, she had the day off from her real job as well. The sun was shining and the air still had a coolness to it but there was just a hint of warmness mixed in with it. Spring was fast approaching and Emma couldn't wait. She always felt more suited for warmer weather but had grown to at least tolerate the sometimes-harsh New York winters. This day found Emma not in her apartment sleeping her free day away, but instead found her seated across a table from Danny Messer. He'd been wanting to meet for lunch for awhile now, seeing as he really liked Emma and had from the moment he met her. But the two of them could never quite find a time to meet, usually because of one of their schedules. But he had the afternoon off and seeing as she did too, they were now seated in a small-ish restaurant waiting on their food.

He looked worried for some reason, or at least looked like something was bothering him. But Danny was pretty quiet that day. He kept looking everywhere but at her. She leaned forward on the table some, "do I have something on my face or are you just avoiding something?"

A smile finally crossed his face but it didn't quite reach his eyes. He shook his head as he finally looked at her. "No sorry, just got a lot on my mind."

"Like what? I'm an un-biased opinion, so I'll listen if you want to talk." It seemed like everyone had a lot on their minds lately.

"It's just my brother. He's been calling me lately."

Well, that didn't seem so strange or troubling. But then again, Emma didn't know much about Danny or his family. She knew what Don told her and what little she'd seen from the few times they'd all hung out. She nodded her head, "Yeah...maybe he wants to get together?"

He shrugged his shoulders with a sigh, sitting back in his chair as their waitress brought their drinks over. He was quiet until the waitress left. "I don't know about that. Probably wants money or something. I haven't answered my cell much, just to avoid him." He smiled again, glancing at her, "Sad isn't it?"

"Not really." Emma paused long enough to take a drink, setting the glass back down on the table. "Things happen in families sometimes. You don't talk to certain people for years and then one day out of the blue, they want to talk or get together. I'm sure sometimes the people are sincere but other times, people just want to be vindictive."

He nodded, seeming relieved that for once someone understood why he was so apprehensive about seeing his brother. It'd been a long time. They'd once been close but things had torn them apart. Nothing had been the same. "Exactly. I'm just not sure what he wants. Guess I'm scared to find out."

She smiled softly, "It might not hurt to find out. See if he's one of the sincere ones."

At one point Louie was Danny's hero. He was the big brother, the two of them were inseperable. Danny had grown up wanting to be just like his big brother. Louie seemed invincible. Danny nodded again, "I might. I'll have to think about it."

"Man I've got to start charging for these therapy sessions I've been giving." She grinned teasingly before taking another drink, "just kidding."

He laughed finally and looked a little more relaxed. "So you seen Aiden much?"

She nodded, resisting the urge to blurt out everything the two of them had been doing. "Uh yeah, a few times here and there. We're supposed to get together next week I think."

"Good, good. I need to call her, see if she'll fix dinner one night."

Emma laughed, "What you can't cook for yourself?"

"I could. But what's the point when Aiden cooks better?"

"True. I'm probably lucky I can make spaghetti without burning it. Although I've gotten better since I've been out of college."

"I'm not that bad. I just never have the time."

She smiled, "so how's the new CSI working out?"

Danny rolled his eyes, he'd been waiting for that question. He laughed, shaking his head as he took a drink out of his own glass. "I knew that was coming. What has Flack been telling you?"

"Nothing! She seems nice though."

"She is nice. She's smart too, I mean she seems like she can figure things out just like _that_," He said emphasizing his point by snapping his fingers. "And she can tackle a guy three times the size of her. Now that's impressive."

Emma smiled, "Flack just said you'd been flirting with her."

"Oh whatever. You two are _much_ worse."

She laughed, were the two of them really that bad? They tried not to be all over each other, even though it was hard. Don and Emma were definitely still in that 'honeymoon' phase of dating. "So! Ask Lindsay out."

"Emma. I have a girlfriend." He shook his head but was still smiling, "plus Monroe and I work together."

Oh that was right. She'd forgotten that part. Don had mentioned Danny's girlfriend a few times, but Emma had yet to meet her. And of course, she had to remember that work romances could become awkward. She guessed that Danny would probably just keep up the third grade flirtation with Lindsay though.

"Fine, fine. I forgot about the girlfriend part." She sat back in her own chair, "we should all get together one night though. Get Aiden too."

He nodded, "Yeah we should. Do dinner or something. I'll mention it around the lab next time I'm in there."

* * *

She should've known that all good things must come to an end. She should've known better. But if she knew what the repurcussions would be if she hadn't gotten involved, would she still have done it? Probably. The man still haunted her deepest thoughts. She hated coming home late by herself, hearing a loud noise startled her. Her heart would pound, her skin would feel clammy, every hair on her neck would stand on end. In anticipation for what? She didn't know. All she did know was that she wanted him to pay, he _deserved _to pay. That was why she did it. That was why she helped Aiden.

She came home in the evening, grumbling about how the weather had taken such a drastic change. While it'd once been sunny and slightly warm, now it was raining and getting cooler by the minute. The clouds had opened up into a torrential downpour and the sky was pitch black. Lightning illuminated everything every few seconds and thunder echoed between the buildings. It was definitely the type of night to just stay inside.

Emma was soaked by the time she reached her floor. She'd managed to kick up water all over her legs, soaking the bottom half of the skirt she was wearing. Her hair looked awful, hanging in her face and stringy from the rain. An umbrella had been no help, she'd resorted to just running down the sidewalk hoping she wouldn't fall in her heels.

Don was standing in her living room when she finally unlocked the door. She didn't notice the look on his face, she was only worried about getting out of her wet clothes! "Can you believe the rain? I swear, it's like a hurricane rolled in tonight or something. Did you eat? I ate earlier with Danny but I figure I've got enough stuff in the kitchen to fix something for dinner." She glanced up and finally saw the look on his face. His eyes were dark and narrowed, his mouth set in a firm line. He did not look happy at all. "What's wrong?" She asked in the middle of taking off one of her shoes.

Don stalked towards her, his shoes seeming as loud as the thunder. Uh oh. He shoved his hand out towards her, a picture in his hand. She looked from the picture to his face. Oh, he was not happy in the least. He looked pissed off. Most of all, he looked hurt.

Her mouth had gone dry. She felt like there were a thousand cotton balls stuck in her throat. He wasn't meant to find out! At least not until it was all over. Oh great.

He dropped the picture onto the floor and brushed past her, nearly knocking her over in the process. Emma looked down at the picture as he landed face-up, finding herself staring at one of the many pictures of DJ Pratt that she and Aiden had in their possessions. It was then she realized that Don was leaving.

He was _leaving_?

Emma ran out of the apartment, her front door banging onto the wall as it swung backwards. Her other shoe came flying off, leaving her barefoot. He was halfway to the stairs, too impatient to wait for the elevator obviously. His steps were still matching the thunder that was echoing outside. "Don! Wait!"

He didn't even seem to acknowledge that he'd heard her. He just kept going, swinging the door to the stairwell open. It banged dangerously back on its hinges. She was half surprised it didn't break off completely but instead concentrated on catching up to him. Damn him for having a longer stride than her. Damn _her_ for leaving the damn pictures in her bag. How stupid!

He was going down the stairs at a record pace, his longer legs allowing him to go down more steps at a time. Emma hurried to catch him, or at least keep him in sight. He never did acknowledge her. And he only got really silent when he was mad.

"Don!"

Another door flung back onto its hinges as they reached the first floor and he shoved the door open. Anyone that might be in his way quickly moved, seeing the dark look on the detective's face. Emma was still behind him, tears threatening to spill over her face.

They were both out on the sidewalk in just a few seconds. The rain was coming down harder than it had been earlier. Lightning and thunder still pounded throughout the city. For once the sidewalks and the streets weren't horribly crowded with people or cars.

She managed to grab ahold of the end of his jacket. He wretched his arm out of her grasp, spinning around towards her. Emma stopped, backing up as she saw the look on his face. She'd never seen him this mad before. "Just let me explain," She managed to get out without stuttering too much.

It was downright cold, the rain felt like a million needles pricking her arms and face. But the look he was giving her was much colder. "I don't want an explanation. Are you stupid?" He growled out loudly, stepping forward enough so that he was right in her face.

"But I-"

"Just shut up Emma. What the hell were you thinking? Following that guy around? You realize how much danger you put yourself in, huh?"

Of course she had realized that. She'd been relunctant to even help Aiden out at first. She nodded, the feeling had been completely lost in her hands now. "Of course I did-" She was cut off again as he went into another tangent.

"You did? Then what the fuck were you doing? Is that why you've been bumming money off me for film and shit? My god, Emma." He rubbed a hand over his face, just staring at her. "He could've caught you. Why were you following him around?"

She swallowed hard. The cotton balls in her throat had been replaced with the overwhelming urge to throw herself down on the cold sidewalk and cry. She could just come out now and tell him everything. Tell him Aiden needed her help. But, that would compromise Aiden. That would compromise the whole thing!

She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to fend off just a little of the cold rain. Lightning illuminated the sky and the man in front of her again. He was drenched, his hair plastered to his forehead, his eyes looking a cross between sad and wild. "I..I don't know," She finally mumbled, dropping her head down.

"You don't know? You don't _know_? That was stupid Emma. How long have you been following Pratt around? You do realize if he catches you, you ruin the whole case right?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "since we got back from the Hamptons."

His eyes narrowed again but she didn't dare look up, for fear of seeing the look on his face. "That's great Emma. Ruin the case. And put yourself right in harm's way. This has to be the stupidest thing you've ever done." He shook his head and stared at her for another minute before he turned, starting to walk away.

Her head shot up, watching his back. "Don! Wait!"

It seemed like the heaven's opened up again then because the rain started to come down even harder, blurring her vision thanks to that and the tears that slipped down her face. She wanted to tell him everything. But she didn't. Don didn't make a move to stop or look back at her. In fact, he soon disappeared into the few people that were hurrying down the sidewalk and she could no longer see him.

Frowning, moreso to herself than anyone else that might be wandering by, Emma dropped her hands to her sides. She started to follow him, wanting to at least make him see that she wasn't doing this to ruin a case or put herself in danger but she didn't. He was already gone.

* * *

_AN: ducks flying objects I've got more homework to work on but I'm hoping to get it done early enough that I can get started (and hopefully finished) tonight to post another chapter. (ohmygoodness 50 chapters!) If not, chapter 50 will probably be posted Tuesday evening sometime.  
_


	50. Chapter 50

From the moment he stepped inside the building on his next shift, everyone knew to stay away from Don Flack. He glowered at everyone from his desk, barked orders to people who happened to come within ten feet of him and generally was a complete jerk. No one talked to him unless they absolutely had to.

Lindsay and Danny were inside their office in the crime lab, both working on mountains of paperwork that'd accumulated over the past week. But much of that wasn't getting done seeing as they were both distracted. By Flack. He'd been in the hallway for about fifteen minutes, pacing up and down. Any of the lab techs that wandered by got a glare and a snarl. Lindsay looked over at her partner and raised an eyebrow, "What is with him?"

Danny shrugged, his eyes following his friend's movements as he went down the hall and then came back up the hall. "I don't know. He nearly bit my head off earlier though."

"He looks like he could kill someone.."

"Maybe he's having a bad day."

Both jumped as Flack nearly yelled at Sheldon Hawkes as he made his way down the hallway. Hawkes ducked into their office and looked at the two of them, "did I..miss something?"

Lindsay smiled sympathetically at the other new-ish CSI. "No, I think Flack's just having a bad day."

"All I was doing was going to the break room!"

Danny shook his head, glancing back at his friend who was still doing the pacing routine. "Something is definitely up with him."

"You should talk to him," Lindsay said. She ducked behind her computer when Flack stopped and glared into their office, obviously catching them looking at him.

"And get killed? Oh I think _not_ Montana."

She laughed, despite the whole situation, "Well someone should!"

The two men in the office just stared at Lindsay. The smiled dropped off her face and she threw her hands up in the air, "I hate being the new person!"

Lindsay and Mac were called to a scene just as the sun began to dip below the horizon. Flack was there as well and while Danny and Hawkes had tried to convince her to talk to him, Lindsay just couldn't do it. Flack just looked so...pissed off. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, he was talking to a uniformed police officer and a woman in her 20's, a witness. Lindsay was taking pictures and Mac was a few feet from her. Flack's jaw was clenched, his shoulders tense. His eyes were dark and narrow and while he was doing his work, he wasn't very nice to anyone around him.

She sighed and decided it was now or never. Carrying the heavy camera in her hand, she made her way over towards him. Sure the two of them didn't know each other all that well (she being the new girl and all) but, Flack had really been nothing but nice to her. He'd teased her a little, though not as bad as Danny had been, but had genuinely seemed like a nice guy. So it was definitely bugging her to see him in this state.

"Flack?"

He turned towards her, fixing his steely gaze on her. "What?"

"Are you okay? I mean, I know that's probably a loaded question but..."

He shook his head as he moved to stick his notebook in his jacket pocket. "I'm fine."

Great, they were up to one and two word answers! It was progress since he'd done nothing more than growl at everyone all day. "Are you sure?"

He nodded again, narrowing his eyes as he looked at her again. "Why'd you care?"

She smiled, shrugging her shoulders. She was definitely getting nowhere fast with him. "Just thought I could offer a friendly ear."

"Yeah well-" He stopped midsentence although Flack looked for a moment like he might rip Lindsay a new one. Instead his face finally softened up a bit and she could instantly see the hurt in his eyes. Whatever had happened in his personal life was tearing him up. He smiled, just a little, and nodded his head again. "Thanks."

She smiled at him again before nodding her own head, then turned back to the task at hand.

* * *

It was hard to get out of bed in the mornings. Usually it was hard because it was nice, warm and cozy. And lately there'd been a warm body next to her with his arm around her. Now it was just hard to get up and function somewhat normally. Her bed felt empty and cold, her apartment even moreso. Phone calls went unanswered. Or if he did answer then he promptly hung up. Emma wanted to tell him the truth, that it wasn't all her idea but..she didn't. She felt a loyalty to Aiden.

She gathered everything she still had at her apartment and made her way to meet up with Aiden. It wasn't a scheduled meeting between the two women but Emma needed to talk to her.

She was sure she looked horrid. No sleep and no energy would do that to a person. No one had said anything to her about her state but her co-workers had noticed a definite change in her. Aiden was the first to say something to Emma as she sat down across from her in a small cafe near Aiden's apartment. "Em, you look like shit."

That was Aiden. Straight to the point. Emma smiled weakly and nodded her head, "I know. Haven't been sleeping well."

"Is everything okay?"

Things were far from okay. Emma wanted to blame Aiden. After all, if she hadn't had to keep all this secret then her and Don would still be in that happy-go-lucky boyfriend/girlfriend stage. But, she didn't blame Aiden. She did blame herself. It was her secret to keep. And it'd all come crashing down on top of her.

Emma pushed the notebook filled with notes and pictures towards her. "I...I can't help you out anymore."

Aiden frowned at the blatant avoidance of her question, and at her statement. "Why?"

Emma let out a sigh, brushing her hair back off of her face. "Don found a picture of him. He freaked out."

Her eyes widened, did this mean the whole thing was done and ruined? "Oh god Emma.."

"I didn't tell him. I mean, I didn't tell him I was helping you out. He did most of the talking anyway. But he thinks I...I was following Pratt around on my own." She shrugged, slumping down in the chair more.

"Oh Emma..I'm so sorry. I..I mean, I didn't even think about what'd happen if he found out!" Aiden hadn't meant for this to happen. She just knew Emma had an eye for taking pictures and she needed someone with an eye for photography. Plus Aiden could use the help. They were close, _so _close. Aiden rubbed a hand over her face, "You're right. You can't help me out anymore and that's completely fine."

Emma looked over at her, a little surprised. She'd been expecting another big blow up or freak out. "What?"

Aiden shook her head, "You can't help me out and that's completely fine. I...I don't want to screw you and Don up more than I have."

"You didn't do anything-"

"No but you didn't rat me out, that's almost as bad as telling him." Aiden leaned across the table towards her, "I've known Flack a long time. And if I know him well enough like I think I do, I'd be willing to bet he wasn't happy when he found that picture. Right?"

Emma turned a pretty embarrassing shade of red, looking down at her hands before she nodded. "He was so mad...I've never seen him like that. Ever."

"Have you talked to him?" She asked quietly.

"I called. But he didn't answer. Well, I take that back, he did answer two times but he hung up the moment I got a 'hey' out of my mouth." She shrugged a shoulder, "I haven't had enough nerve to go over to his apartment. And I wasn't sure what shifts he was working this week, so..I haven't gone there either. Plus with the way my luck is going lately, I'll end up running over a dead body."

Aiden smiled some, "I'm sorry Em.."

"It's not your fault," She shook her head looking over at her. "It's really not. I mean, there's a ton of 'what if' scenario's that I could go over and wish had happened but..I screwed up. I left the damn picture out, apparently."

"Well you don't have to worry about any of this stuff anymore. I'll take care of it from here."

"Are you sure? I feel horrible about not being able to help.." And that was true, Emma hated that she couldn't help. She felt a bit like she was hanging Aiden out to dry, after all now she was going to have to work on her own now. It wouldn't be an easy task, that was for sure.

Aiden shook her head, "No way. You need to deal with your own life, not get all wrapped up in this crap. Trust me, I'll be fine."

"Okay, okay. Now I've got to get Don talkin' again.."

* * *

_AN: I'm posting this quickly before I head for bed, finally! I randomly got all my review e-mails but I'll get to those with the next chapter hopefully. How are you all liking the new season so far? It's seemed to get better since the first episode. Between CSI:NY and Lost, I don't know which one is going to give me a heart attack first. School is still pretty hectic but I've got class tomorrow...well, today, and then I'm done for the weekend so I'm hoping to get some more writing done. Anyway! Go read and then go sleep if it's past 1 a.m. where you are ;)_


	51. Chapter 51

_AN: Spoilers for Season 2's "Run Silent, Run Deep" .  
_

* * *

  
She hated being the type of girl that sat by the phone, staring at it and waiting for it to ring. It was stupid. It was useless. But, here she was. Sitting at home. Staring at her cell phone and willing for the damn thing to ring. Emma figured if she stared hard enough and thought hard enough that it'd ring and then all would right with the world!

No such luck. Damnit.

She'd called him countless times since their fight. But there was either no answer or he hung up on her before she could get a whole word out. She was beginning to give up though when she really didn't want to. She'd tried to immerse herself in work and her friends but none of that seemed to work because he was always in the back of her mind.

Her phone did ring later that night. 3:17 a.m to be exact. Emma shot out of bed, hurrying around somewhat blindly as she tried to find the offending ringing thing. It was loud and obnoxious and she'd really just gotten to sleep. Finding it on the kitchen counter, she fumbled with it for a moment before answering it. "Hello?"

She hadn't even glanced at the number but knew within a second that it wasn't Don.

It was Danny.

His voice sounded tired, barely constrained tears behind it. "Emma?"

"Danny? What's going on? It's 3 a.m." Her first thought was that something bad had happened to Don. Oh God, surely not. That would just be way too soap opera-ish, even for her. What would she say? Wail loudly, '_I never got to say goodbye' _and then fling herself widely on his casket? She shook her head at the image, she'd watched way too many soap operas and Lifetime movies.

Danny sucked in a shaky breath before he started to talk again. "It's...well, it's Louie."

She'd gotten to know more about Danny and his older brother's relationship over time, but still didn't really know that Louie was involved in a group that could be classified as two steps below the mafia. She knew that Danny and Louie were close but had drifted apart some years ago, and especially after Danny became a CSI.

She frowned though, he sounded so broken and child-like then. That was definitely something she hadn't seen from Danny Messer. "Is he okay?"

"Not...well, not really. He got beat up pretty bad and stuff and I..well, couldn't stand to hear my mom cry again so I called you." He sighed into the phone, "I'm sorry I woke you."

"No don't worry about it. What hospital? I'll get dressed and come over, keep you company. Okay?"

"You'd do that?"

"Danny, we're friends aren't we?"

Another sigh came from him, "Yeah. Thanks Emma.."

Emma moved towards her bedroom, stubbing her toe on the couch along the way. She pulled on a pair of jeans as he talked again, telling her what hospital they were at and the floor he was on. Right before they got off the phone he finally said, "Flack's here too."

Oh _great_.

* * *

Emma made it to the hospital not long after getting off the phone with Danny. She'd grabbed coffee for the both of them, knowing Danny wouldn't rest until he knew his brother was going to be okay. Her eyes kept darting around as she looked for any sign of the tall guy that was maybe/maybe not still her boyfriend. Luckily though, she made it into the elevator and up to the floor Danny had told her his brother was on without seeing him.

Then she saw him. Standing outside one of the private hospital rooms. He was dressed in his ever-present work clothes but his head as down as he flipped through a newspaper. God, she wasn't even near him three seconds and already her heart ached. How one guy could get so under her skin...oh, that was aggravating!

Emma ducked her head down, hoping he wouldn't notice or recognize her. Of course that was kind of hard when she tripped over her own two feet and proceeded to spill both coffees down her shirt. She gasped loudly as the hot liquid soaked through the sweatshirt she'd pulled on over the t-shirt she'd been sleeping in. Emma was quickly learning she had no good luck. No good luck whatsoever. Especially when Don's head shot up and his eyes narrowed when he saw her.

Oh _great._

Danny came out of the hospital room, raising an eyebrow when he saw Emma standing in the hall with coffee running down her shirt. He glanced at Don who was still staring at her but shook his head, hurrying over to her. "What in the hell did you do?"

She wanted to cry, really she did. And it wasn't thanks to the hot liquid running down her arms, hands and now her whole torso. "I tripped over my feet.." She laughed, despite the whole situation. It was utterly ridiculous.

Don hadn't moved an inch, which she noticed almost immediately. Danny took the now empty coffee cups from her, coming back towards her, "look go in the bathroom and clean up. I'll go grab a nurse to get this mess."

He pointed her down the hallway and Emma almost ran to the women's restroom. Luckily it was empty and she took the opportunity to pull the soaked sweatshirt over her head. Luckily the coffee hadn't been scalding hot so she wasn't burned. Just horribly embarrassed. She sighed, shaking her head at herself. Only Emma would trip over her own two feet and pour coffee all over herself. She went to work then on washing off her hands and arms, getting the sweet smelling substance off of her.

She didn't look up as the door opened, figuring it'd be a nurse or another person or hell, even Danny coming to check on her. But the person cleared their throat and it was most definitely not a female nor was it Danny. Her head shot up and she found her reflection staring at Don.

His face was void of any emotion as he stuck his hand out, holding another t-shirt in it. "Danny had this in his bag. Said to give it to you."

Emma turned off the water and dried off her hands before she turned towards him. She hesitated as she reached out, taking the dark blue shirt from him. "Thanks.."

"You okay?" He asked after a very long, uncomfortable moment of silence and motioned to her hands.

"Oh...oh yeah. Yeah I'm fine." She nodded. Emma turned her back to him then, not hesitating as she changed out the now-cold and wet shirt she'd been wearing.

Don raised an eyebrow as he watched her nearly strip herself in front of him. Not that he hadn't seen her do it before, mind you, but he figured she wouldn't be so...he didn't know. Instead he watched as the white shirt she'd been wearing disappeared and dropped to the floor. His eyes lingered on the small of her back, an area normally so overlooked but one he'd often found himself wanting to touch in some way. He shook his head, remembering that he was supposed to be mad at her. But he couldn't help the inward groan as dark blue fabric slipped down, covering her up.

He looked away just as she turned towards him, not wanting her to catch him staring. Emma's cheeks were a little red as she ducked her head, "Sorry..it was just uh..cold."

"S'ok."

Great, now he was back to one word answers. She sighed and picked up the white t-shirt, shoving it into the garbage. "So is..is Danny's brother okay?"

"Touch and go."

"Don, I-"

He shook his head, moving for the door. "I gotta get back."

And before she could even blink, he'd disappeared.

* * *

Danny looked from where Emma sat beside him in the small waiting room to where Don was perched outside of Louie's room. Both had avoided looking at each other pretty much since Emma had gotten there. So _that_ was why Flack was in such a piss-ass mood. Danny sat back next to her, his hands wrapped around a styrofoam cup of horrible hospital coffee, but it was keeping the jittery nerves at ease. He glanced at her, finding her doing the same thing. Only she was eyeing Flack as much as she could without looking too obvious.

"So..anything going on between you two I should know about?" Danny finally asked.

She looked up, looking slightly alarmed that she'd gotten caught. "I...well...I don't know." She didn't want to burst out and tell Danny everything, that'd make things that much more worse. Plus he had enough to worry about at the moment. "We had a fight," She said finally. Which hey, that wasn't too far from the truth.

He nodded, "So that's why he's been walking around looking like he'll kill anyone who looks at him cross-eyed."

"I..guess." Emma sighed, glancing down at her own cup of coffee. Hopefully this time it wouldn't end up all over her clothes, then she'd be wandering around the hospital naked. "Thanks for the shirt by the way."

"I had Mac bring me a change of clothes," He said as a way of explanation. "But I think you needed the shirt more than me.."

She cracked a smile, "Yeah I don't think coffee-stained is the new trend of the season."

"Probably not. So you gonna tell me what's going on with you two or what.."

"Can't we talk about something else?" She asked quietly as she glanced at him.

He nodded after a moment, glancing at the door to the room where his brother was quietly resting. Louie was no where near to being out of the woods yet, it was touch and go at this point and while Danny had been sitting with him for awhile, he now needed the break. Flack had been there almost as soon as Louie was brought into the ER, just in case. And while Flack was pretty good company most of the time, Danny had wanted someone else there. The other CSI's had stopped by over the course of the evening but he guessed they were either still working or at home sound asleep. His parents were due to arrive in the morning and he knew he was going to need all the energy he could muster but Danny was too wound up to even attempt to sleep.

"You know, I never would've thought he did all that back in the day just to protect me. I honestly thought he hated me," He said finally.

Emma had gotten most of the details from Danny. From Tanglewood, to the point when Louie pretty much alienated Danny. "I don't think a brother could ever truly hate their sibling. But you couldn't have known Danny."

"I just wish I could apologize.."

"You'll get to. And he'll probably tell you to 'fuck off' or something just as polite."

He laughed softly, "I don't know that I've heard you use the word 'fuck' Emma."

"Yeah well, sometimes it calls for it." She shrugged, looking to where Flack was still standing. "He been a jerk?"

"Yeah. Keeps trying to bite Adam's head off in the lab." Danny ran a hand over his face before covering a yawn, "He barely talks to anyone. Was it a bad fight?"

"I guess." She sat back in the chair, making a mental note of just how uncomfortable those chairs really were. "I did something really stupid and he found out."

"And now he's doing the whole 'I won't talk to you' routine?"

"Mmhmm." She closed her eyes as she rested her head back against the wall, "I don't know what's going to happen."

"Well you two need to kiss and make up so he'll quit stomping around like the Hulk."

She let out something that sounded like a snort and a laugh, causing him to crack up too. Obviously lack of sleep was doing them both in but Emma figured if Danny was laughing, then things weren't so bad. "He does tend to stomp around like the Hulk when he's mad."

"Exactly." He smiled some, "thanks for coming. I know I woke you up but...well, Flack's not too talkative. Mac stopped by earlier and I cried like a huge baby. Lindsay showed up too. And I know my parents are gonna show up and...well it just helps to have someone here to make me laugh."

She pulled her legs up underneath her in the chair, curling up in it the best she could. "It's not a problem. I know you would do the same for me."

He nodded, "So you gonna talk to him?"

"Eventually. I mean, when he'll actually _look_ at me."

* * *

_AN: Posting this early as I'm heading out for the afternoon! I will try to update tonight as well since I've got some free time :)  
_

_truebluepatfan12: I just have this image of Flack throwing a total temper tantrum lol and you know, I wasn't thinking of bringing Danny's girlfriend in but..now I might have to!_

_sanzo-reload: I'll be sure to stick up warnings when I get to season 3, if there'll be any spoilers or anything:) But that's still awhile down the road. I really liked the season 2 finale although I was like "they better not kill off Flack or I'm not watching anymore..." lol  
_

_ twinsie: You read all 50 in a day? That is awesome! Thank you for taking the chance and liking it, that's amazing. _

_ sparkyCSI: Yeah the day after I updated, I got like a billion review/story alerts lol I figured was PMSing or something :-x I definitely can see Flack throwing a temper tantrum like a little kid, maybe the show needs to write that into an episode?_

_ demolished-soul: I think Flack would definitely have a death glare, I wouldn't want to be on the opposite end of that lol  
_

_ meadow567: How are you liking Lost this season anyway? I've read good/bad things from other people but I'm liking season 3 so far! It's at least a little better than season 2 (maybe because JJ Abrams isn't off being up Tom Cruise's butt like last season, ahem :-x)_

_ itDBMe: thank you for reading!_


	52. Chapter 52

_AN: Short chapter! I'm avoiding a project that is giving me trouble but is due this week (seriously, I hate certain Web programs right now) so I'm going ahead and posting this. In my break from my project, I'm going to start work on ch. 53. It may or may not be up tonight. If not, I'm going to at least hopefully get it up before tomorrow's episode. Still slight spoilers from "Run Silent, Run Deep" but shouldn't you have seen that episode by now? ;)  
_

* * *

He glanced over from his spot by the door to where his maybe-sort of-still girlfriend was asleep. Asleep, curled up in a very uncomfortable looking chair. He had to admit that she looked pretty damn cute. Don shook his head and turned, looking into the room where Danny was sitting with his brother. There'd been no change, which he supposed was a bit of a good thing. Louie wasn't any worse but he wasn't necessarily getting better. Don had been asked to stay there by Mac, "just in case". Yeah, just in case one of the other Tanglewood assholes decided to come after Danny. Or if Danny got it in his head to go after one of them. The cycle would just continue and continue but..so far, nothing. But he didn't want to leave just yet. Just in case. Emma had been asleep for about an hour and a half, but the position she was in had to be really uncomfortable. He had yet to really say much of anything to her and planned on keeping it like that, at least for the time being.

He turned, poking his head into Louie's room. "I'm gonna go grab some coffee, you good?"

Danny looked up, nodding his head. "Yeah I'm fine. Emma still sleeping?"

"Yeah. Looks like she'll wake up with one hell of a neck-ache though."

He smiled some, "Those chairs are not made for sleeping that's for sure."

"I'll be back in a few, okay?"

Danny waved him off and Don disappeared towards the elevators. Once on the first floor of the hospital, he passed by a few windows and saw that the sun was finally beginning to rise. He hadn't realized how late (or early) it was but he surprisingly wasn't all that tired. Sure, he knew he'd crash later and probably have to set his alarm to the highest volume so he wouldn't sleep through his next shift but for the time being he was okay.

He was standing at the end of the cafeteria line with a cup of coffee and a bagel in hand when he felt a familiar prescence slide up next to him. A glance to his right revealed a slightly exhausted looking Danny. "Decided to join me, huh?"

"Yeah. Louie's doctor came in to do a few tests so I figured I better grab some caffeine. Plus, your girlfriend woke up. I figured she'd need it too."

Don bristled a bit at the 'girlfriend' term. He kept his head down as he fixed his coffee the way he always did, "Yeah. Probably."

"Oh I hit a nerve." Danny held out some money towards the cashier, picking up the two cups of the black liquid. "What is going on with you two?"

"We had a fight." Simple as that. It was true after all.

"Yeah I can tell." Danny shook his head as the two of them started back towards the elevator, "I've just never seen you two not talking to each other. It's really weird."

"Yeah. I know." He shrugged a shoulder, "It's kinda complicated."

Danny pushed the elevator button, looking up at the numbers as they lit up as the elevator began its descent to the first floor. "It usually is complicated.."

The two of them sat in silence in the waiting room, each holding their own cup of coffee. Emma still looked about half asleep, seeing as Danny had woken her up once him and Don had come back upstairs. Danny had gone inside to sit with Louie, their parents showing up not long after that. She covered a yawn, glancing up at Don. "Are we ever going to talk?" She asked finally.

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. That was a pretty damn good question and while he knew they'd have to talk eventually, he didn't want to do it at that particular moment. "Not right now."

She sighed, shaking her head as she moved to stand. "You know, if you'd just let me explain then maybe you wouldn't be so pissed off."

"Oh so I'm not allowed to be pissed off?"

Emma rolled her eyes as she picked up her purse, "I didn't say that. You're allowed to feel whatever you want. I just wish you'd let me explain instead of flying off the handle."

"You kept it from me!"

"Don.." She was really not in the mood to get into any of this at that moment in time. She reached up, pushing her hair out of her face. "You think that if I kept something from you, that maybe there was a reason for it?"

He shrugged his shoulders but refused to look at her. Emma sighed again, "Fine. Tell Danny that I'll talk to him later. But I'm going to leave you alone, no more calls or anything. When you want to talk, you let me know."

Don finally looked up, watching as Emma stormed off down the hall in the direction of the elevator. He sighed softly, rubbing his forehead with one hand. Relationships were so damn complicated.

* * *

_The Little Corinthian: what man isn't stubborn? lol but hey maybe I will have to just shove them in a closet, let them fight it out! Or you know, make out._

_demolished-soul: Oh I don't think you're the only one who cried during the episode! I cry at the dumbest things though._

_sanzo-reload: I can't keep them apart for too long, because it's hard NOT to write them being all cute together lol. _

_sparkyCSI: yeah who knew Danny was a relationship therapist? lol Fluff is coming though! It's hard not to write fluff, ugh.  
_

_meadow567: I was a little disheartened to learn that William Mapother (I think that's his last name..or close to it :-x) was related to Tom. I actually can NOT watch his movies anymore. And yeah, I' on theFree Katie brigade lol How was The Prestige? I've heard it's good!_

_truebluepatfan12: haha I think I am going to have to bring in his girlfriend, at least for a chapter! _


	53. Chapter 53

He'd just laid down, about ready to pass out when he heard the knocking on his door. Don groaned and laid still in the bed, hoping that whoever it was would just go away. But that would be too easy and of course lately things had been far from easy. The knocking soon turned to pounding and he finally sighed loudly, pushed the covers off of him and got out of bed. Don very nearly stormed to the door and pulled it open so hard that it was surprising that the door didn't come off its hinges. He was ready to give whoever it was on the other side a piece of his mind but stopped when he saw Aiden.

She smiled sweetly and pushed her way into his apartment without so much as a word. He just shook his head and closed the door behind her. "Aiden I'm really not-"

She held up a hand as she turned to face him. "No, you listen. I talk."

He opened his mouth to actually say something but thought better of it. Instead, Don crossed his arms over his chest as he waited for her to continue.

"Okay. So I get this tearful call from Emma the other day. Poor girl sounds like hell. What in the world is your deal!" Aiden threw her hands up in the air in frustration, shaking her head as she started to pace around him in a circle, "and then I saw her and she looked even worse. I mean, I know couples fight and argue but calling her _stupid_? Flack that was mean.."

"Yeah but Aiden, she was hiding something from me-"

She shook her head, punching him in the arm to cut him off. He just replied by scowling at Aiden while he rubbed his arm. "Sorry. But you deserved that. Look, would you just talk to her?"

Don rubbed a hand over his face. He was so tired and just didn't want to argue with anyone at that point. "Aiden, I can't really do this right now. I've been with Danny all night and I'm worn out."

"Yeah, yeah I know. She called me earlier. But seriously, you need to talk to her."

He shook his head and moved to open the door, "I can't right now. Look, I'll call you later. And I'll talk to her later. I just didn't like that she kept it from me."

Aiden stared at him for a moment. She felt guilty, it was partly her fault that Emma and Don's relationship was on the rocks. And Emma had been putting on a brave front as much as she could but it was weighing heavily on her too. She sighed, "Just talk to her soon, okay? She thinks you hate her."

He was quiet as Aiden stepped out into the hallway. Reaching up to rub the back of his neck, Don glanced at her. "Well..if you talk to her soon, tell her I don't hate her."

She nodded, "That's good enough for now." She smiled as she stuffed her hands into her pockets, "But you need to get some rest. You look like hell."

Don rolled his eyes but managed a smile before he said goodbye and closed the door.

* * *

Emma was beginning to regret calling her mother and telling her everything that'd happened. Well, everything minus a few key details of course. Because now Linda was calling every day (sometimes more than once) and was constantly wanting to know if Emma and Don had worked things out yet.

One such phone call came as Emma was trying to get home for the evening. She'd had a long day at work, putting her own portfolio together while helping Luisa out in the gallery. But on the way home from work, she remembered she had pretty much nothing in her fridge or pantry that could be classified as food. Of course, she could just order something in or pick up something on the walk down the street to her building from the subway but well...she didn't want to. She'd have to cook for herself sometime, she supposed. So a trip to the store for food and other necessities was just going to be essential. And all was going well until her phone rang.

"Hi mom." She'd been the only person to call her except for Danny, who called to give her reports on his brother.

"How in the world did you know it was going to be me?"

Emma laughed as she ducked down a aisle, pushing a cart in front of her. The front end of the cart was already full of her stuff: purse, umbrella and that stupid photography portfolio of hers. "You're the only one that's been calling me lately."

"So have you talked to him?"

"Mom!" She was on the verge of full out whining. Emma had told her mother countless times that she was giving Don space and she wasn't going to keep calling him and just end up seeming like some kind of creep. "He can call me."

"I know, I know. But I just worry. This is the longest you two have gone without really speaking."

She let out a sigh as she stopped in the middle of the aisle that houses the bread, looking up at the different selections in front of her. She definitely knew that. It was weird not talking to Don. She'd been so used to talking to him just about every day and now they couldn't even have a conversation. "Look mom, I think it'll all work out in its own time and in its own way. That's just how I've got to think about it at this point in time."

"Want me to come hit him upside the head?"

Emma laughed again, knowing her mom would definitely do something like that. "I thought you hated the city?"

"I didn't _hate_ it. It was just..loud. All the time." Linda laughed on the other end of the phone, "that's besides the point and you know it."

"Yeah, yeah I know. But no, no coming to hit him upside the head. He'll come to his senses.."

"Well goodness I hope so. You sound miserable."

"Thanks mom," She said wryly as she tossed a loaf of bread into her basket and moved on to the next aisle.

Linda sighed softly, "I worry about you."

"Quit worrying. Like I said, it'll work out in its own way, in its own time. It was my fault for not telling him in the first place and I accept responsibility."

"I knew I raised you right."

Emma shook her head, "You're horrible.."

"Yes but I'm your mother. Now, when are you coming down here to visit again?"

Oh of course that was the real reason her mom had been calling so much. Linda _was _worried about Emma, and worried about her and Don's relationship. But she also wanted her daughter to come back to Georgia to visit. And Emma was putting her foot down. The last time had had its bad moments, she didn't want anything like that to happen again.

"Can I think about it?"

"You 'think' about it everytime I mention it. Now Emma, you've got to come down here eventually."

"Fine. Christmas."

"That's months away."

Emma sighed as she grabbed a few other necessities and decided to head home, "I know but I'm busy. I can't just get off work, get a plane ticket and fly down there anytime I want to. Plus, I might have a new kinda free-lance job that's happening. I'll come for the holidays though, promise."

"Well, if that's the case then you better plan on staying for more than a couple of days."

"Okay mom."

It was a resolution between the two but in the end it would make both happy. Emma did miss having her mom around, especially since she lived so far away. They hadn't talked very much lately and Emma decided right in the middle of the store that she was going to have to change that. After all, her mom was better than any therapist out there and gave some of the best advice.

* * *

_AN: Shortish chapter again! Sorry for the delay in posting as well, wasn't letting me upload anything last night. Ch. 54 should be up tonight._

_  
charlotte balmer: thanks for the PM! I'm glad you're liking the story :)_

_demolished-soul: yes but do you cry at Hallmark commercials?? lol there's been a few times something like that has come on and I've just burst into tears. _

_ meadow567: I really want to see The Prestige (and there's another one with Christian Bale coming out that looks good too), I haven't been to the movies in forever it seems!_

_  
truebluepatfan12: it's hard not writing them together :-x it won't last too much longer, I don't think._

_  
sanzo-reload: Don just seems the stubborn type lol it's kinda fun to write him like that too! _

_ The Little Corinthian: make out-make up, same thing in my book! ;)_

_sparkyCSI: I've got part of Ch. 54 written down in a notebook but it's not coming out exactly they way I'd like :-x so I'm going to have to do some editing and all that but yeah I'm kind of trying to figure out how Emma will explain without mentioning Aiden! _


	54. Chapter 54

Emma had gotten used to doing three things during her day: hang out at home, hang out at work, or hang out at the hospital. The third was only so someone was with Louie Messer at all times. Danny and his parents were exhausted so Emma became the one to sit out in the hallway or in his room reading quietly until the next 'shift' started. At first, it was a little weird. She hadn't met Louie before but now she felt like she knew him, even if he hadn't been conscious around her. But it showed that Danny trusted her enough to hang out by his brother's bedside, even if it was boring.

He would come in after a shift (still looking half-exhausted too) but always had a cup of coffee and some type of food for her. The two of them would then hang out talking until a nurse would come by and tell them to keep it down. Apparently people in coma's didn't need to hear their crude jokes! But as boring as her afternoons or evening could be, she at least felt like she was helping. And it kept her mind off of Don.

She'd been sitting with Louie for a good two hours and was halfway through a book she'd bought a few days before. She felt like she never got a chance to really sit down and read anymore and well, this seemed to be the perfect time. Danny or his parents had left newspapers around the room but she'd read through most of those anyway. He'd probably be there within the hour though, which meant Emma would probably go home and crash shortly thereafter.

She glanced up as she saw a shadow fill the doorway and was about to tell Danny that he was early but instead, found herself facing a tall blonde woman holding a very large flower arrangement. Emma quickly wracked her brain, trying to think if she knew this woman. It was quickly decided that no, she didn't. But she smiled anyway and put the book down before standing up. She had to be polite, after all. "Hi, can I help you with something?"

"I was looking for Louie Messer's room..." She seemed unsure of herself and definitely didn't seem comfortable with Emma standing there.

"Oh well, you've come to the right place. I'm Emma, just kinda been sitting in for Danny and the Messer's while they work and try to get some rest."

The blonde stepped into the room and set the flowers down on the last available spot near the door. Since Louie was admitted to the hospital, flowers and cards had been pouring in from friends and family. Danny had joked that his room was turning into a florist shop, which was just about the truth. "Are you any relation to the Messer's?"

Emma shook her head with a laugh. Although she loved Danny _like_ a brother, she wouldn't want him as one. "Oh no, no I'm just a friend helping out. And you are...?"

"Cindy." The blonde held her hand out towards Emma and she reached out to shake it.

It was then Emma's eyes widened. She remembered Danny mentioning his girlfriend the other day. A girlfriend named Cindy. "Ohh you're his girlfriend! I'm sorry, he mentioned you the other day and that you might stop by and it completely slipped my mind."

Cindy smiled, and while she seemed friendly enough there was a definite coldness underneath it all. "It's okay, I wasn't sure if Danny would even be here. But he mentioned his brother was in the hospital so.."

She nodded as they both glanced at Louie lying in the bed. He was still under heavy sedation but his physical cuts and bruises were starting to heal. "Yeah..Louie's still out of it but they didn't want him to be alone."

"Will Danny be here today?"

Emma glanced at her watch, nodding her head. "Yeah he should be here in a little bit. He's been coming in after work."

Cindy nodded, looking around the room. "Well I'll just..wait out in the waiting room."

"I don't mind keeping you company out there if you want. Believe me, it gets pretty boring in here by myself."

Cindy hesitated but eventually nodded her head and the two women headed out to the waiting room. She was pretty enough but Emma thought for some reason that her and Danny were such an odd match. But she also knew Danny didn't have one set 'type' of woman he went for, he pretty much liked any type of woman. But still, Emma just didn't think Cindy was his type at all. Maybe because she was slightly snobby and reminded her a bit of Don's last ex-girlfriend. Maybe because Cindy wore way too much perfume; so much that it could probably take out half the hospital. Maybe it was because Cindy just seemed too...out there for Danny. Oh sure, she had more than a few assets that any man would like but still! But while Cindy was a little stuck-up, she seemed pretty nice too. After all, it wasn't like she was completely ignoring Emma. She was at least making an effort to talk to her.

Danny showed up, surprised to find Cindy there with Emma. It was written all over his face too. Emma went to get her things out of Louie's room, closely followed by Danny. "When'd she get here?" He loudly whispered.

Emma shrugged, "I don't know...like an hour ago?"

He sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I told her about my brother, just didn't expect her to show up."

"She seems nice Danny."

He gave her a look, turning to glance over his shoulder at the door to make sure there were no prying ears around. "I really want to break up with her."

"Why?"

"Because she's highly annoying?"

Emma laughed at that, "Danny!"

"Well I'm sorry but, it's true. She calls all the damn time. Whines when I can't just drop everything at work and go running."

"Well break up with her?" After all, Emma wouldn't want to be in a relationship where the other person thought she was annoying.

Danny nodded, "I'm trying to! But then she gives me this puppy dog look.."

She reached out to punch him in the shoulder, smiling a little when he gave her a scowl. "Seriously just break up with her. Better than being stuck in an unhappy relationship."

"Yeah, yeah." He waved her off, watching as she moved towards the door. "Thanks for staying with him."

"Nah don't worry about it. Someone's gotta keep an eye on you Messer boys, I swear." She smiled, "tell your parents I said 'hi' the next time you see them."

He laughed, "Ma told me I should go out with you, you know."

"Too bad I'm not your type."

"I have a type?"

Emma nodded, slipping on her jacket. "Mmmhmm. Short, brunette, really into all that gross science crap you're into.."

He rolled his eyes but grinned some, "You just couldn't handle me Emma."

Rolling her own eyes she stepped into the hall, "please Messer. You're not my type either."

"Yeah you just go for the guys who can't match their tie with their shirt!"

She laughed, "fine you got me on that one. You win this round, I'll see you later."

* * *

_AN: Am posting this from work so I'll be quick! Another short-ish chapter ;) but we're getting somewhere I promise. I might get ch. 55 posted tonight but it might be tomorrow as I've got to study but I will try!_


	55. Chapter 55

One thing Emma had never thought she'd be on the opposite end of was an interrogation. The room was dark, small, cold, and she had a feeling it was meant to be like that. After all, if the cops could scare the crap out of a suspect right from the start, they'd probably crack quickly and ramble out a confession. It also didn't help to be on the receiving end of some skeptical looks from Stella and...Don.

She'd been at work when two uniformed cops and Don showed up. He'd barely said a full sentence to her, just telling her that she needed to come downtown with them. That didn't look so good to the two clients in with Marianne and Luisa. Confused, Emma followed them out to a waiting car and got inside. Don sat about as far from her as he could, his jaw set and his gaze staring straight ahead. She'd asked a few times what was going on but got no answer. She was even more confused as to why there were two uniformed cops...she was half surprised they didn't cuff her just for the hell of it.

And now she sat in a cold metal char in the cold, dark, small interrogation room on the other side of a metal table from Stella and Don. Manila file folders sat in front of all three of them, one was laid out in front of her. A few choice photographs lying out for her to see. She felt like an elephant was sitting on her chest and honestly, if she could've thrown herself on the floor and thrown a temper tantrum she probably would've.

Aiden was dead.

She pulled her lower lip inbetween her teeth, chewing on it until the skin was red and raw. Somehow this was all so reminiscent of Marissa and her death, except Emma hadn't been sitting in an interrogation room when she found out. She swallowed the lump that'd formed in her throat, stealing a glance at the two sitting across from her. They both looked sad. And looked determined. Don had muttered the words before showing her the pictures of what was left of Aiden and the burned out car. And here Emma had thought Aiden was mad at her for some reason since the other woman hadn't been returning her phone calls...

Emma's eyes dropped to the pictures in front of her. A couple were ones she'd taken, a few actually had her in them as she followed Pratt. Great, now it was looking like she was a suspect or something. "You think I did this...to her?" She finally asked.

They'd all been quiet for a good, long while. At least it felt like that awhile, it was probably only a few minutes at the most. Stella shook her head and was the first to speak, "We just want to know what happened. What was going on."

"Aiden wanted to nail Pr..Pratt." She closed her eyes as she had to practically force his name out of her mouth. "She thought she could use my help since I had the equipment. And I guess I...I wanted to help put him behind bars." She shrugged a shoulder as she looked over at the two again, "I just didn't want him to do anything to another person and neither did she.."

Don clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes some. Emma suddenly felt very small in the room and wrapped her arms around herself as the temperature dropped about ten degrees. She felt like she was suffocating and her eyes were starting to water. Which meant she was either going to burst into tears or pass out, she didn't know which one would be worse. "I stopped helping her about two weeks ago.."

"After I found that picture of Pratt in your apartment," Don said softly.

Emma nodded, "Yeah. I told Aiden what happened, she told me she didn't need my help anymore. That she could finish.."

Aiden sure finished all right. She'd done such a good job that she lost her life in the process. Emma reached up to quickly wipe at her eyes with the back of her hand, the last thing she wanted to do was cry in front of him right now. "I'm...sorry.."

"You know, you could've told me Emma."

She looked over at him, "How could I do that? You would've freaked out!"

"Aiden's dead, Emma!"

Stella stood up and pulled on Don's arm, "Flack come on. Ms. Lewis, you're free to go for now."

She gathered her things and headed out of the precinct, nearly running to get out into the open air where she could breathe. A hand caught her arm just as she got out into the sunlight and she jumped, turning around to find herself face to face with Danny. The tears started before she could even think to stop them and she leaned into him as he pulled her closer. "I'm so sorry Danny, I didn't know this would happen!" She was well aware she was whining and mumbling all at the same time but at that moment she didn't care. She just wanted to feel like this wasn't all her fault.

In the back of her mind she knew it wasn't her fault. Aiden had taken the chance doing any of that as it was, and she definitely didn't have to try to do it on her own. They were apparently still trying to nail down Pratt for her murder, going over evidence and other things found at the scene and in Aiden's apartmnt. But still, part of her felt like it was her fault. After all when they were working together, one of them always had the other's back just in case something bad happened. Emma knew in her heart that Pratt had killed Aiden, it was just a matter of the CSI's proving it.

Danny was rubbing her back gently, trying his best to calm her down. But having a near hysterical woman crying on his shoulder just wasn't something that happened all that often. "It's not your fault, Em. I promise it's not," He said quietly.

She pulled back a moment later, reaching up to wipe at her face with her hands. "I feel like it is. I mean, if I'd kept helpin' her-"

"Then it could've been you in that car," He said firmly.

That could have been true, she guessed. It'd taken her awhile to realize just how much danger the two women had put themselves in for one peice of scum. "He hates me."

"He's hurting. We all are." Danny shrugged a shoulder, "He doesn't hate you."

Emma wrapped her arms around herself and she rocked back on her heels some. "I thought you all were thinking I did it.."

"No, Stella was the one to find some of the pictures. Including the ones with you in them. But I knew you didn't do it.."

She sighed softly before looking down at her feet. "I gotta get home."

"You gonna be okay?"

"I...really don't know." She shrugged her shoulders, "I'm beginning to think I'm jinxed though. You sure you wanna be standing near me, a bus could hit you here in a minute."

He gave her a stern look before rolling his eyes. Danny stepped forward and hugged her tightly, "You are not jinxed. Go home, get some rest. I'll get someone to call you when we know anything."

Emma nodded as she pulled away from him, moving down the stone steps slowly. And with a wave, she disappeared into the crowd.

Danny watched her until he couldn't see her anymore and then he headed back inside. Flack was waiting for him by the elevators, the distraught and sad look still on his face. The whole building had been eerily quiet (as much as it could be) since everyone that knew Aiden or had worked with her, respected her. Danny sighed as he reached his friend, rubbing the back of his neck where a crick had been forming, "guess we gotta get back to the grind.." He wasn't on Aiden's case like he wanted to be but he was helping where he could, all the while working on another developing case.

Flack shook his head, glancing up at the numbers above the elevator as they lit up as it made its descent to the first floor. "So you planning on telling me how long you and my supposed girlfriend been fooling around?"

The way he said it had been so nonchalant and calmly that any normal person walking by wouldn't think anything of it. Danny, on the other hand, turned towards him and stared at his friend as if he'd just grown a third head on his shoulders. "You're kidding me, right?"

Flack shrugged his shoulders, "Hey I'm just asking a question, going off what I see."

"And what you see is me fooling around with your girlfriend? Are you crazy?"

"She's been around you a lot more than she has me."

Danny rolled his eyes, "Yeah and whose fault is that?"

Flack didn't have an answer to that and both men fell silent as the elevator doors opened and a couple of people stepped out. They got in and Danny nearly punched the button for the crime lab. Flack turned towards the shorter man, fixing his steely gaze on him, "I just wanna know the truth."

Danny sighed, really not in the mood to get into it with a pissed off and angry Flack. But if he wanted to argue and be completely idiotic, then so be it. "She's been helping me with my brother, you dumbass. She'd been sitting by Louie's bed while I've been at work. We've met for lunch or dinner all of two times, not like we've been goin' back to either of our places and fucking all over the place just to spite _you_." Danny was nearly in the other man's face, narrowing his own eyes, "You think either of us would do that to you? Give me a little more credit here Flack. Hell, give Emma a little more credit."

"What about outside just now?"

"The woman thinks you hate her!" He poked his index finger into Flack's chest, hoping to maybe knock some sense into him. "She was out there crying, what the hell am I supposed to do? She also thinks Aiden dying is her fault! You weren't exactly helping."

He snorted and back away from Danny, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yeah and why should I believe you?"

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open to reveal the floor the crime lab was on. Danny stepped out, followed closely by Flack. Danny turned towards him, "Because you know both of us better than that. Get your head out of your ass before she leaves you for good."

* * *

_AN: I originally was going to post this before the episode tonight but then I was a little distracted by Lost and the new episode :-x Ch. 56 is done as well but, I'm not liking the ending so it will be posted in the morning and I'll get to your all's reviews then. (btw did you all know Anna Belknap (Lindsay) is pregnant? I swear she's about the cutest thing ever. ok I'm done squealing like a nerd, ahem). But yes, look for Ch. 56 sometime in the morning since I've got the morning off :)_


	56. Chapter 56

The funeral was a few short days later. Emma had felt like she was in some sort of fog for that time. Sure, she got up and did her normal routines but she did it just out of the need for some sort of normalcy. She was still going to the hospital to sit by Louie Messer's bed, finding herself talking about anything and everything just to get it off of her chest. He was getting better, so the doctor's said. But head injuries weren't anything to play around with, so the heavy sedation kept going. She didn't know if he could hear her or not but Louie definitely became a good listener.

Danny had shown up at her apartment the day after Aiden was identified, telling her that Pratt had been arrested and was in jail awaiting a hearing with a judge. While that elated her, Emma kind of wished it was Don who was the one to tell her. Danny hadn't mentioned their little argument (or Flack's assumptions) since he didn't want her to worry any more than she already was.

Emma was feeling extremely guilty. So guilty that she went back and forth about whether to go to Aiden's funeral or not. She was afraid people would blame her. Even though she knew in the back of her mind that there was no way she could've stopped Aiden from working the way she did. Even if Emma had been helping Aiden, things most likely would've ended the same. Of course things could've switched around too and Emma could've been the one found in the car.

That thought plagued her as she sat down in the back row of chairs at the graveside service held outdoors that bright, sunny afternoon. She spotted Stella and Lindsay, as well as Hawkes, Adam, Danny and Mac. She did not spot Don anywhere. She didn't want to impose on their little group, after all she wasn't _in_ the group. She also didn't want to bring attention to herself, just in case anyone _was_ blaming her.

The service was pretty short but every chair was full. She picked out what she thought had to be the Burn family, the rest of the CSI crew and a few cops near the front. Friends and other family were probably scattered about as well. Through it all, Emma never saw Don. She knew he wasn't a big fan of death or funerals (but then again, who is?). He'd even avoided one of his grandparents' funerals once in high school, instead choosing to crash at her house where the two of them watched movies and pigged out on food. But anything else, with a co-worker or friend or family member, he was there. It surprised her that he wasn't sitting with the others though.

After the service ended and people began to disperse, Emma suddenly found herself alone. She was hating coming to funerals and sick of people dying. The silly thought that she was jinxed was still there because it sure seemed like all of her friends had bad things happening to them. She shook her head and stood, moving out of the row of seats and heading down the grassy path.

* * *

He was watching her, even though he felt a bit stalker-ish and it probably looked that way too. Funerals were never a good thing and while he could usually suck it up and deal with them when he had to...this one was just too much. Too much to bear, too much to deal with and understand, too much _everything_.

Of course he'd stuck his foot in his mouth with accusing Danny of him and Emma fooling around. He knew it wasn't true, that had just been the jealous boyfriend talking. Add in all the stress and everything else and Don was pretty much a walking time bomb.

He stood at the bottom of the small hill, watching as she walked down the grassy path. He was standing next to a tree, pretty much hidden from sight. He was trying to get up enough nerve to approach her but just as he moved to take a step away from the tree; Danny and Lindsay appeared. He sighed and kept back, watching as the two approached Emma.

Emma forced a smile when she saw Lindsay and Danny. He leaned over to hug her, "how you doin'? Holding up okay?"

"I think so.." she shrugged her shoulders, glancing between the two, "these things aren't exactly how I like to spend my day."

Lindsay smiled sympathetically at the woman she didn't really know yet, "We were all going to grab something to eat. Would you want to join us maybe?"

Emma started to shake her head but Danny tugged on her arm, saying "too damn bad you're joining us anyway."

Both women laughed as Emma was nearly dragged down the path with Lindsay following them. "But Danny," Emma started to say.

He just shook his head, "Nope. We gotta do this for Aiden. I mean, not like we can all go get drunk exactly but we need to do this. No point in being alone, right?"

"Exactly, it's no fun being alone at a time like this. I didn't know Aiden but I've heard enough to feel like I do, and it's better to be surrounded by friends than going home by yourself," Lindsay said.

Emma couldn't argue with their theories and even she could admit that going home to an empty apartment wasn't too appetizing. She just nodded and let Danny pull her down the sidewalk. None of them saw Don come out from his so-called hiding place and follow behind them at a good distance. If he couldn't talk to her yet, then he'd at least force them to spend time together.

* * *

_AN: Ch. 57 will hopefully be up tonight if I can get some writing time in this afternoon at work!  
_

_sparkyCSI: there will be some D/L and Flack really will get his head out of his ass lol. I hadn't heard that Anna was pregnant until I was looking at an lj community (I think) and someone posted pictures of her. She's so cute! But yeah on last night's episode I noticed that she'd put on some weight around her face but you're right, it doesn't look bad on her at all. And well, they're filming her chest-up lol which is reaaally noticeable :-x but why can I see the guys on the show being very protective her Anna now...lol  
_

_The Little Corinthian: don't you just love it when everything gets piled on top of everything else? I do! Not. Of course, I've only got three classes this semester (I'm nearing the end of my degree AND that's all I could fit in with my work schedule) but it feels like I'm taking about uh..8. good luck with your school stuff!_

_sanzo-reload: I'd be willing to bet he'd definitely be the type to get annoyed if a girlfriend did something he didn't like (or something like that lol)_

_ demolished-soul: you know, Danny's only mentioned his brother once in this season so I'm wondering if they killed Louie off. At this point, I think I'm keeping him alive. At least that's how it's going right now in the things I've written!  
_


	57. Chapter 57

Sitting next to her in the small restaurant the group had convened in was not the most comfortable thing in the world. He was having a hard time not reaching over and lacing their fingers together. He was having a hard time ignoring the feel of her leg as it brushed against his when either of them moved. It was a form of cruel and unusual punishment and judging from the smug look on both Hawkes and Danny's faces, he knew who to blame their seating arrangement on.

Emma, on the other hand, was doing her best to ignore Don. It was hard to do, especially because he was fidgeting like a five year old. But she tried to keep her attention on whatever Stella and Lindsay were talking about. If she acted like she didn't care about Don or their argument then it'd be easier to get through this afternoon and soon enough she'd be home, in bed.

Danny was having a great time, mostly because he was thoroughly amused at watching how Don and Emma were trying their hardest to NOT look at the other. He caught a few brief touches here and there though. They'd both look alarmed, then go back to ignoring each other. Hawkes leaned over towards him, lowering his voice so the two across the table wouldn't hear. "Are they acting childish or is it just me?"

Danny grinned, "Not just you. It's more Flack than anything. Emma was just fed up with trying to talk to his stupid ass."

Hawkes laughed, shaking his head as he sat back in his seat. "Could just stick them in a room somewhere, lock the door and refuse to let them out until they make up."

"Or make out."

Both men turned to look at Mac who was seated on the other side of Hawkes. He looked at them strangely before shrugging a shoulder, "What? I'm just as tired of Flack walking around like the world is on his shoulders as you all are."

Hawkes grinned, "Who knew our boss was in on the gossip!"

"I hear all and know all, Sheldon. You should know that by now." Mac's voice was the same tone it usually was but there was a hint of joking in there with it.

Stella was telling Lindsay about the things she needed to see in the city, mostly touristy and shopping areas. Emma kept forgetting that Lindsay hadn't been in the city a year yet, but she already seemed to be fitting in. Stella motioned towards Emma, "I'm sure she knows some great art shops in the city though."

Emma blinked a couple of times when she heard her name, as she hadn't really been paying attention.She smiled and nodded her head, "Yeah I do. There's a few around where I'm working. In fact, there's a big gallery opening in two weeks. I've been helping get all that stuff sorted out."

"I'd love to check out some little hidden, out of the way places. My apartment is so...bare." Lindsay laughed softly, "It's ridiculous. But Danny was telling me you picked up some free-lance work?"

Emma perked up a bit at that, after all it was much better to talk about work than about her not-so-great relationship with Don or Aiden. "I did, I got a call randomly one morning from this guy who manages a band that just got signed to a major label. Not that I have any idea what it is or anything but he's wanting to get some professional photos done. So we'll see where it goes, my first meeting with them is next week. I've been running around putting a portfolio together to show the guy but he just said he's heard great things about me." Emma shrugged a shoulder, "It'll be extra money."

Stella smiled, "Definitely, it'll be good experience too."

"Yeah I mean, I'm used to just shooting whatever catches my eye. But it'll be fun." She looked to Lindsay, "but let me know if you all want to go to that opening and I'll see about grabbing some tickets. I know the last one me, Stella and Aiden went to was pretty fun..."

"Hey the fun part was the nice looking men in the room," Stella said. "Aiden followed this one guy around all night practically, but she was trying to look like she _wasn't _following him. It was too funny."

Lindsay laughed softly, looking down at her drink that'd been left pretty much unattended since she'd gotten it. "Aiden sounded like a character, I wish I could've met her."

Emma smiled some, "She definitely was a character..tough too."

"She was one tough woman. I wouldn't want to run into her in a dark alley," Stella shook her head with a grin.

Don was on the other side of Emma, trying his best to keep up with the guys' conversation but he kept overhearing the women's. Emma was doing free-lance work? How hadn't he known that?

_'Because you're an idiot',_ His mind answered him. Of course Emma had told Danny, the two of them had been talking almost constantly. He knew nothing was going on between the two of them, that had been the horribly jealous boyfriend in him coming out. He was jealous that Danny could make her laugh though, that he could get her to talk. He really was an idiot.

Dessert arrived around the table, with Stella groaning about eating too much and Hawkes complaining that he was still hungry. Emma was picking at her dessert with her fork when Don leaned over towards her, "I don't think it'll bite."

A smile formed on her face, "I don't know. It could.."

He reached over with his fork and cut a piece of the pie she'd ordered for himself. She looked up at him finally, "You could've asked."

Uh oh. Don was afraid he'd crossed a line and pissed her off. He shrugged a shoulder, "Had to make sure it was safe for you."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Really? Why?"

"It could be poisoned!"

She laughed, shaking her head. "Well how is it then?"

"I don't know...I could use another bite."

She thought it over for a moment before nodding, "Fine but I get a bite of yours."

And somehow with that little exchange, things between the two of them seemed to be better. Even if they were just talking about dessert.

* * *

_AN: yaay we're getting somewhere maybe! ch. 58 will probably be posted tomorrow :)_

_pippabella: thanks for the PM! I am in the southeastern U.S. so that might be why it was evening for you when I said I'd be writing more in the afternoon._

_The Little Corinthian: 3 day weekends, yay! I didn't get one of those this time around but work is slow today so uh, that means I get to update more! I find it too funny that they're filming Anna chest up and hiding her behind her lab coat lol it's so cute though._

_sparkyCSI: thank you! I was a little worried about writing the funeral, but I didn't want to go into too much detail or anything sigh. Don is just a silly man, Danny should really knock some sense into him lol._

_demolished-soul: I think Louie will be alive, I kinda like the idea of Danny's older brother being around. Now if the show would just do something about it..._

_truebluepatfan12: I know Danny' s mentioned Louie once in season 3 but he never said if he's still alive or if he died (which sucks. I wish they'd do something with that lol)_

_meadow567: I have no idea what I'll do with no Lost for 3 months (but I understand why they did it so I will deal I suppose!). Who do you want to win Dancing with the Stars? I think that is why Anna's not in so many episodes right now (or at least not in them much). They're hiding her behind her lab coat and file folders a lot lol I doubt they'd write it into the show BUT that would make for some D/L drama!_


	58. Chapter 58

Emma had prepared herself to walk home after they'd all finished eating and talking about everything under the sun. It'd been nice to listen to stories about Aiden before she'd known her. She really was such a funny, kind hearted person but could stand her ground against anyone who wanted to try to take her on. It'd been good to laugh instead of feel sorry for herself for not helping more than she could've, it'd been healthy to laugh instead of feeling sad and depressed. And it'd even been nice to share a few laughs and conversations with Don. Obviously the two of them stayed to safe topics but...least they were talking, right?

She watched as most of the group headed down the street and turned to go in the opposite direction. She was planning on walking some of the way home before catching a cab, the weather was still nice and it was still light out. Plus she could use the thinking time. But Emma shouldn't have been surprised when Don ended up beside her and the two fell into step next to each other.

Finally she looked up at him, "So um...what're you doing?"

"Walking you home."

Of course that was obvious. But Emma wanted a reason as to why he was suddenly acting nice to her. "I can see that but, why?"

Of course she would ask _that_. He finally shrugged a shoulder before saying, "can't have you walking home on your own."

"What? Now I'm some damsel in distress? I've lived here for awhile now, I think I can walk home on my own."

He was still walking next to her, his hands in his pockets as if nothing was wrong. "I know you can walk home on your own. I guess I was thinking we could talk while you did so."

Emma let out a sigh, because while she did want to talk...she also didn't want to ruin the day even more. They'd gotten along while around everyone else, why ruin it now? "Fine. What should we talk about?"

Now here was the hard part, Don was actually going to have to swallow his pride. He was going to have to bring up stuff he didn't really want to bring up but knew he had to if there was any hope in saving their relationship. He'd missed her, missed having her around, missed sleeping next to her and waking up next to her. He shrugged a shoulder as he glanced down at her, "What do you think we should talk about?"

"Don't go all police interrogator on me now. We did that the other day," She said before stopping in the middle of the sidewalk.

Don stopped quickly so he didn't pass by her completely, turning towards her. "I'm not! What should we talk about though?"

"How about the fact that you pretty much bitched me out in front of my building that night? You wouldn't even give me a chance to explain, Don." Emma crossed her arms in front of herself, fully prepared to defend herself if necessary.

"What would you have said, huh? You already said you wouldn't have told me everything because it would've screwed up Aiden's investigation."

She sighed loudly and started walking again, not surprised when he followed her. "Yeah you're right, I wouldn't have. And you know, I knew exactly what I was doing when I told her I'd help her. But I was never in harm's way."

"How'd you know that?" He asked as he caught up to her finally, "He could've done the same thing to you that he did to Aiden. Em, that could've been you!"

"Don." She stopped again and turned towards him, placing her palm against his chest, "I wouldn't have let it go that far."

"Yeah but you didn't know.."

"I was too chicken shit to even get that close to him." She shrugged before looking away, "I know that it could've easily been me, okay? And I'm sorry for not telling you but I just didn't want you to...freak out and be worried."

"I worry about you all the time."

Emma dropped her hand to her side, "You can't worry about me all the time. It'll drive you crazy."

"I think that already happened."

She gave him a look that could only be described as a 'death glare' before she cracked a smile. "Smartass."

"Well it's the truth!" Don laughed before shaking his head, "look I do worry about you. It scared the hell out of me to find some picture of that jackass in your apartment and know you'd been near him. I didn't want him to...to get near you again. I didn't want him to hurt you."

She finally stepped close enough to him to slip her arms around his waist. "I didn't want any of that either. But it's over now.."

"Yeah.."

She chewed on her lip for a moment, "I won't keep anything from you again. We all know I'm horrible at it."

"Then I won't keep anything from you either.."

"What have you kept from me!"

Another laugh came from him before he leaned forward, pressing a kiss against her forehead. "Nothin, promise."

"I already know you thought something was going on with me and Danny." Rolling her eyes, Emma pulled back and tugged on his arm before she continued to walk.

"You did? Oh man..."

"Yeah." She shrugged, glancing up at him as they walked side-by-side, "sorry but he's definitely not my type."

Don cracked another smile, "you have a type?"

"Mmhmm. Danny said I do, at least. Apparently my type doesn't know how to match a tie to a shirt."

"Now wait a minute...I do too!" He protested loudly as Emma started to laugh.

Emma had to admit that she was secretly happy that Don walked her home. He was acting like the perfect gentleman, which while that wasn't totally abnormal...it was just nice to see him acting nicer towards her. The yelling, pissed off version of Don was not one she wanted to see anytime soon.

He walked her to her door, watching as she unlocked it and pushed it open before glancing up at him. "Thanks for walking me home. Even though I didn't need it."

Don laughed softly, "Emma.."

"What?"

"You know I don't care to walk you home."

She shrugged a shoulder, looking down at her shoes, "I guess I just thought that with everything that's happened.."

He nodded before reaching out, tilting her chin up with his hand, "Why don't we go out one night this week.."

"Like a date?"

A smile crossed his face, "yeah sure. I've got some making up to do, I think."

She smiled, "Okay sounds good. I mean, I'll have to cancel with my _other_ boyfriends and all but I'm sure I can squeeze you in."

Don rolled his eyes before leaning in enough to press a kiss against her forehead, "Yeah sure. I'll call you, okay?"

Nodding, Emma moved inside the door, "Sounds good."

He turned to go down the hallway, stopping a few feet away from her apartment and glanced back, "Em?"

She'd gone inside when she heard his voice, leaning back into the hallway. "Yeah?"

"It's not your fault, you know."

A small smile and a nod was all the answer he got before she disappeared back into her apartment.

* * *

_AN: Late posting, I know :-/ Sorry for the lack of updating this week too, things got a little hectic with school but I am all caught up for the moment. I'll get to your reviews from the last chapter later seeing as it's almost 2 a.m. here (btw I am in the south eastern US for those wondering ;)) and I need to sleep lol. btw did we all enjoy the gratuitous half-nakedness of Danny? And the people at CSI:NY are doing a horrible job of hiding Anna's pregnancy (let's just lean her on tables, no one will notice!) but it's so cute to watch lol. Okay, okay enough sleepy rambling from me. I will try to update with ch. 59 (and possibly 60) later while at work:)_


	59. Chapter 59

_AN: YAY! I have made progress. I apologize for not posting anything in what seems like forever. I've been getting error messages for the past week or so every time I try to upload a document so sigh. Here's two chapters to kinda/sorta make up for it all? I'll try to get another chapter up tonight, it's about half written ._

* * *

A few days later, the morning dawned bright and unfortunately early for Emma. She woke to her phone ringing on the nightstand next to her bed and reached half-blindly for it. Her greeting was mumbled at best but it managed to sound something like, "what?"

"Emma? Emma, it's Danny."

She sat up quickly, rubbing at her eyes, "What's wrong? Did something happen?" She had no idea what would be happening but figured if Danny was calling at...6 a.m. then it wasn't necessarily good. _6 a.m._ Too damn early.

"Nothing happened, at least nothing bad."

Emma groaned as she fell back on the bed, pulling the covers up over her head, "then why are you calling me? It's early!"

"I got a call about twenty minutes ago, my dad said Louie's awake.."

She pushed the covers down, "Shut up..really? Danny that's great!"

He laughed, "I know, right? So I was thinking, once I finish up this never ending pile of paperwork I was going to head over there. You know, at a normal time of day and all.."

"Uh huh, like _not_ 6 a.m.?"

"Yes Emma. Like, 8 or so. Want to head over with me? Thought maybe you'd want to actually meet the guy you've been sitting with all this time."

"You mean the guy I've been rambling to all this time? Man, I hope he didn't hear any of that. I sure ranted and raved around Don.."

He chuckled on the other end of the phone and Emma could hear papers rustling on the other end. "We won't know unless you come with me. C'mon. And I can get all the gossip from you."

"What gossip?"

"You and Don."

"We've talked. That's about it. I think we're going to dinner one night this weekend," Emma covered a yawn and closed her eyes. "Damn...I've got a meeting at 9. How about I meet you at the hospital after that? I've just got to run some ideas by this guy I'm working for, show him some of my awesome work. Or you know, not."

"Works for me. And...thanks...for sitting with him."

She had to smile as Danny's voice dropped to just above a whisper. It was like he didn't want anyone to know he was actually grateful for something. "It wasn't a problem. Louie was a much better therapist than any real therapist. Even if he doesn't remember anything."

"Mac's giving me the look of doom so I'd better go, so I'll see you around 10 or so?"

"Mmhmm. Going back to sleep now Danny. I'll see you then."

"Have a good sleep then, Em."

Emma managed to end the call and get her phone to the nightstand before she fell back asleep.

* * *

Even though she was entering the hospital for something that was _good_, Emma still found it slightly weird to be wandering down a hallway of a hospital. Maybe it was just the creepiness of being in a hospital, period but least this time it was for a somewhat happier occasion. She'd stopped by a small florist shop, picking up a vase full of bright flowers even though she knew Louie's room had been full of different floral arrangements as it was but she figured why not?

Danny was standing outside of Louie's room when she approached, smiling when he saw her. "About time, I was beginning to think you stood me up."

"Oh hush. My meeting ran late and then I stopped to get these for your brother. How is he?"

She hadn't seen Danny look so relieved _ever_. She knew from some of their conversations that he felt kind of guilty for what happened to his brother and knew he was worried that he wouldn't heal from his injuries. Louie was definitely a lucky guy. "He's a little groggy and sore but, with a little luck and some rehab he should be able to go home in a few weeks. Of course, you tell him a few weeks and he says it'll be a few days."

"Oh so he's stubborn like you?"

Danny rolled his eyes with a grin, "Yeah yeah smartass."

Emma laughed, moving to step into the room, "You love it."

Louie was obviously still in the hospital bed but was sitting up some now. Emma hadn't been to see him in awhile, seeing as she'd been busy with work and life in general, and even though he'd probably only been awake less than 24 hours he looked pretty good. He'd been more banged up than anyone she'd ever seen before but his bruises and cuts on his face were healing and while he probably had a long recovery ahead of him, she knew it was a huge relief for the entire Messer family to just have him alive.

Louie was watching her as her and Danny made their way into the hospital room. Danny gave him a grin, "this is Emma, Louie."

"Ah, the one dating Flack?" Louie grinned as he eyed Emma, "you know..if he doesn't come around anytime soon, I'd definitely be up for taking you out."

Emma laughed and looked at Danny as she put the vase down near the window, "Oh so that's where you learned all your charming techniques, huh?"

"No, those just came naturally."

Louie snorted, waving Danny away from him as he came closer to the bed, "Yeah right little brother. Go find me something to drink that's decent, let me talk to the lady here."

"Why? So you can flirt with her?"

"Since you asked, _yes_." Louie glanced at Emma, "I tell you what, he can't ever just take a hint.."

"What hint?" Danny rolled his eyes, "Fine I get the hint. I've gotta call mom as it is. Be good."

Emma laughed as she watched Danny leave the room before taking a seat. "Should I be scared?"

"To be alone with me? Nah, I'm harmless. At least that's what they tell me." His smiled was tired but he looked genuinely happy to be alive and kicking. "So Danny tells me you sat in here while my ass was in that coma-whatever they wanna call it."

"He just didn't want you to be alone. Your parents and even Danny were just worn out." She shrugged a shoulder, "I had nothing else going and figured I could help."

"I appreciate it. I don't remember much of anything right now.."

"That's normal I think. And hey, I got a lot of reading done."

"Talking too, huh?"

She blinked a couple of times. She'd heard of coma patients being able to hear people talking to them but seeing as how she'd never been around anyone actually _in_ a coma before, she wasn't sure whether that was all that true or not. "You remember me talking to you?"

"Somewhat." Another tired smile and Emma had a feeling that Louie Messer was going to fall asleep before Danny got back. But he needed all the rest he could get. "I mean, it's all kinda blurry and far away but..yeah, remember you talkin' something about Flack. He get his head out of his ass yet?"

She laughed, nodding her head. "He has, I think. We've been talking a bit more since a friend of ours died.."

"Yeah Dan told me about her. Told me about you and Flack too." Louie yawned and smiled a little apologetically, "sorry."

"Oh no, don't worry about it." Emma smiled, "I'm just glad you're on the mend now."

"Well someone's gotta kick Danny's ass, you know. I can't go out that easily now."

"Oh I agree. Someone's got to keep him in line."

"Exactly. See? I hadn't even met you yet and I already knew I'd like you." His eyes dropped some and he yawned again, "here I go again."

"You do need your rest Louie."

"Yeah but what's the fun in sleeping? It's all I've done for...I don't know how long." He looked over at her again, "seriously though..if Flack screws up again, give me a call."

Emma laughed again, "You got it. Get some rest, I'll tell Danny."

He nodded and his eyes dropped again, this time for good as he finally gave into the exhaustion that had taken over his body. Emma watched for a moment before she stood, leaving to find out where Danny had gone.


	60. Chapter 60

It was hard not to fall back into the same old dating routine that Don and Emma had been in before their fight. It was hard not to go back to the way things were, with her sleeping over at his place and vice versa or meeting for lunch at their respective jobs. They tried their hardest to take things at least a little slower as they gained each other's trust back but it was more difficult than ever to keep their hands off of each other. Which is why they quit fighting it. It was better to be back the way they were before than to be acting all awkward around each other, right? 

Emma had grown busy with her free-lance work, following this one group of guys much younger than she was as they embarked on their first _everything _under a major record label. She set up numerous photo shoots for them, even though she hadn't done much work with bands or anything having to do with the music industry. She'd dabbled a little in college at different shows she'd go to with friends but had never taken it very seriously. But this would end up being great experience. The guys so far was fun and nice to work with, they were eager to please so that made things go a little easier. She was also accompanying them to the recording studio and to any shows they played in the city, which happened to be a lot. She'd even traveled to a few of their shows in New Jersey.

That day found her lying on her back on a cold, hard stage as she held her camera in front of her face. She was right below the lead singer of the band, a tall skinny kid who she thought needed to eat a few cheeseburgers. The 'click, click, click' sound of her camera couldn't be heard over the noise of the band but once she was finished, she slid down off the stage. So the music wasn't exactly the stuff she listened to on a daily basis but it wasn't bad either, she was finding herself liking some of their screaming melodies even. They were set up in a small club on the edge of the city for the band's latest gig. The venue looked like it could hold maybe a hundred people and from the crowd she'd seen earlier when she'd arrived, Emma guessed the place would be filled to the gills. The lead singer, the skinny kid named Nick hopped down from the stage and declared their sound check was over before he followed Emma. "So let me see?" He asked.

She smiled and looked back at him, "It's not digital this time around. I've got some from last week's shoot though, want to see the proofs?"

He nodded and the two walked back into the backroom. It was filled with all the stuff the band could fit in it; from clothes to cd's to books to anything else in between. She found her bag she'd stuck back there, pulling out a folder filled of proof shots she'd brought with her for them to check out before she left for the night. "You know Emma, I'm really upset you're not sticking around for the show."

She handed the folder to Nick and smiled, "Sorry I've got a hot date."

He pretended to look hurt, falling back on the couch. "Oh you're cheating on me? I see how it is!"

"No offense but you're a little young for me." Emma laughed as she sat down on the small couch, "Plus I think there's some girls outside that'd love to date you."

"Please! I'm waiting on you."

She snorted, "You might be waiting a long time then?"

He flipped through the folder, leaning over more to examine one of the shots of himself. "Hey one day we'll be hugely famous and you'll be wondering why you didn't take me up on my offer!"

From the moment she'd met the group of boys, really, they'd hit it off. Emma seemed to be able to get along with anyone and these guys were no different. They joked around but she was still able to get the job done, finding that they were much more comfortable with their picture being taken when they didn't feel like they had to stand around and pose. Nick had taken to slightly flirting with Emma, although she knew it was harmless and so did he. Emma had to admit that he was cute and if she was about eight years younger, she'd definitely be a fan.

Emma laughed again, "I don't know, I'm doubting that."

"You're turning down _this_ for some...cop? Damn the system!"

"Nick, he's a detective."

"Whatever. Is he good enough for you? How do we know that? He should come to our show!" Nick looked like he had just come up with the best idea in the world. And while it would be fairly entertaining to watch Don stand around uncomfortably in his suit and tie at a show filled with overzealous teenagers in jeans and t-shirts...she was looking forward to dinner and a movie much more. But by the time Emma was about to give the boy an answer, he'd already moved on to the next subject. Whatever that was.

She gathered her stuff and stood, "Okay okay. I'll see if he wants to come to a show, that way he'll believe I'm actually doing some kind of work. But tonight we're going out and I've got to get home and make myself look presentable."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "You look fine to me. See if you were with me, you wouldn't have to change your clothes or fix your hair or hell...even wear make-up!"

"If I was with you, I think it'd be illegal." She grinned, slinging her bag over her shoulder, "Go out there with the guys. I'll e-mail your manager the shots from today."

He sighed and tried to look a little dejected but it didn't work for too long before he cracked a smile, nodding his head to leave the back room. "Yeah catch you around."

She shook her head with a smile as she left, heading back in the direction of the subway station she'd come from earlier. Her phone rang from inside her purse and it took a bit of digging but she managed to pull it out without losing anything else or dropping the phone, a great feat for anyone who ever carried too much stuff at once. "Hello?"

"It's me, we still on for dinner and a movie?"

She smiled as she stepped to the side, putting her heavy bag down on the sidewalk next to her. "You better have the Chinese waiting for me by the time I get there."

"And a beer, right?"

Laughing, Emma looked at her wach. She had a good ten minutes before her train would arrive. "Of course. Are you home now?"

"Yeah just got here a few minutes ago. So how was it?"

"Well the lead singer thinks I should go out with him, too bad I dont really like the idea of dating someone who wasn't alive when I was in high school."

He let out a snort, "Is he _that _young?"

"Okay maybe not that young but still!"

"Did you tell him you have a really great looking boyfriend?"

"Yes but he said he'd be waiting for me."

Don laughed, "Well if anything happens to me then least you've got a rebound boyfriend ready and waiting."

"Hey now, no talking like that. Look I've gotta catch the train, I'll be there in a little bit. Don't start the movie without me."

"Of course not. I'll have everything waiting for you when you get here."

She slipped her phone back into her bag, picking all of her stuff up and headed down to catch her train.

* * *

The trip to Don's apartment seemed to take longer than it actually did but by the time she stopped in front of his door, her feet were throbbing and her shoulder was begging for her to put her bag down. She reached up to knock but was surprised when the door opened before she could, which meant her fist came dangerously close to Don's chest. He laughed and reached for her bag, "I have great timing huh?"

"Yeah you're psychic," She grinned teasingly as she followed him inside, kicking her shoes off. "Is the food here?"

"Uh huh, got here about five minutes ago. See? Great timing." He leaned over enough to kiss her forehead, "Long day?"

"Long morning. I swear, I've never felt so old being around a group of guys before. They have more energy than I ever did at 19 years old."

Don led her into the kitchen where an array of Chinese take-out boxes were lined up, all with delicious smells coming from them that made Emma's stomach growl with hunger. He gave her a sideways glance, "Am I gonna have to go shake down this lead singer kid?"

"For what?" She asked as she grabbed a plate, moving to grab one of the boxes, "He's harmless."

"He's hitting on my girlfriend!"

She snorted, looking up at him, "And he's 19."

"Hey he's legal."

"Not even legal enough to drink!" Emma laughed, setting her plate down on the counter before walking closer to Don. She had to lean up on her tip toes to get close enough to him, pressing a kiss against his mouth, "quit pouting. They're fun kids and I'm enjoying the little project I'm doing for them, but that's it. Plus who said musicians were my type?"

A grin was threatening to spread across his face as he pulled his head back just inches from hers, "I always thought you had a thing for cops."

"True. Especially homicide detectives in suits. I mean, what girl wouldn't enjoy looking at a man in a suit?"

He laughed as he wrapped one of his arms around her to hold her close to his chest, "I figured you'd say something about me never matching.."

"Well we do need to work on that but that's why you have a girlfriend!" Emma pulled away from him, reaching for her plate, "it also helps when said girlfriend is _not_ colorblind."

"I'm not colorblind!"

"Then what the hell was with the whole pink tie, blue shirt combo you tried to wear the other day before I stopped you?"

He shook his head as he filled his own plate, "I'm not colorblind."

"I should ask the lead singer of that band if he matches his clothes.."

Emma's answer was a fortune cookie being tossed in the general direction of her head as Don turned to go back to the living room.

* * *

_AN: Again, apologies for the lack in updates. Let's just send a quick pray that keeps letting me upload documents (that was seriously the most frustrating week ever..lol)_


	61. Chapter 61

He rubbed a hand over his face, opening his eyes to blink a couple of times. Damn the room for being dark...well, it _was_ dark. Confused as to why there was an annoying blue light filling his bedroom, he lifted his head, finding Emma sitting in front of his computer. He groaned and sat up, pushing the blankets off of him. "Em what in the world are you doing?"

She looked back, having the decency to look a little sheepish. "I couldn't sleep?"

"You couldn't sleep?" He sighed, pushing himself up off the bed, "what's wrong?"

She shook her head, "Nothing really. I just woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. So rather than wake you up by me rolling around trying to get comfortable, I thought I'd check my e-mail...and read the news."

Don looked over her shoulder, grinning some. "Yeah Garfield has a lot to do with the news huh?"

"Hey I was reading the news!" She turned back to the computer, shrugging a shoulder. "Then I decided to read the comics. Anyway, shut up! Don't you have to work?"

"Mmhmm." He dropped a kiss onto the top of her head. "Come back to bed?"

That was certainly an offer she couldn't pass up and moved to turn off the computer, following Don back to the bed. Once they were both under the covers, Emma moved to wrap herself around him. He covered a yawn with one hand before looking down at her. "You cold or somethin'?"

"Nope."

His eyes closed as he shook his head. "Women are so weird."

"Like men aren't?"

"Emma.."

"Don.."

He laughed softly, resting his head back against the pillow. "Are you going to sleep tonight or not? If not, I'm kicking you out to the couch."

"You'd do that?" Emma shifted so she could actually see his face and smiled when she found his eyes closed.

"Mmhmm. Sorry but you're disturbing my sleep. And if I'm not at my best then the whole NYPD suffers. How would you like that on your conscience?"

She sighed but shook her head, finally closing her eyes to try to force herself to sleep. "Fine fine. I'll shut up."

"Good," He mumbled, already well on his way back to sleep. His arms tightened around her as he laid his head next to hers.

Emma was just beginning to fall back asleep when she heard him mumble something that sounded distinctly like "I love you."

At that, her eyes shot open and she laid there like that for the rest of the night. Did he really just say _that_? Obviously the two of them cared a lot for each other, they had for years! But love? That four letter word was something the two of them hadn't really touched on before. And that four letter word meant a lot to anyone who said it or was on the receiving end.

It was only when the room began to get lighter with the sun coming up over the horizon that her eyes finally closed long enough to get some sleep. She figured she'd have to bring it up to him later. Right?

But Emma was woken up when Don's phone began to ring. He reached over to grab it off the nightstand and answered it, although Emma was still about half asleep and couldn't totally understand what he was talking about. He closed the phone before letting out a sigh, leaning over to kiss her forehead. "I gotta go.."

She stretched out, yawning as she rolled over onto her back, watching as he got out of bed and started to dig around for his clothes. "Who was it?"

"Mac. Some guy down in the park." Don rubbed a hand over his face before looking down to make sure he was buttoning up his shirt correctly, "you can go back to sleep you know."

Emma smiled as she snuggled down under the blankets more. "Yes. But you woke me up.."

He laughed before turning towards her. "I'll make it up to you later?"

"Dinner would be nice?"

"We'll see, not sure when I'll be home. Want me to call?"

She nodded as she rolled onto her side. She thought of asking him if he'd actually said _that_ but didn't, not wanting to freak him out for whatever reason. Plus, what if he didn't even remember saying it? He'd been practically half-asleep after all. She sighed and closed her eyes as if she was planning on going back to sleep herself, listening to Don as he finished getting ready and moved out of the bedroom to grab the rest of his things. He shouted a quick 'goodbye' and a moment later Emma heard the door close and the apartment go silent.

* * *

_AN: Short chapter, I know. I've said it before and I'll say it again but I do apologize for the lack in updates lately. I know I was updating more regularly back in the summer and I honestly didn't think adding school into the mix would throw things into such a tailspin. BUT, good news is that after this next week I am free until January. So I'm hoping to get back into a more regular posting schedule after next week. With that being said, I'm not totally sure when Ch. 62 will be posted. I'm hoping to get it up before the weekend's over though. I've just got a lot due this week that has to be finished up. So thank you all for sticking around this long and dealing with my lack of updates lately, I do appreciate everyone who reads and reviews this story. Thanks :)_

_ Pippabelle: what did you mean when you said "even if you are missing half the story out in them"? I didn't know if that meant that some of the document was missing or something else. Also, I did much better back in the summer with updating on time when I only had to worry about working but with school..well, I've been horribly busy :-/ No excuse, I know. But I do hope to be regularly updating after this next week!  
_

_ The Little Corinthian: I'm toying with the idea of Emma taking him to a concert. I just have this image of Flack-in-a-suit at some punk rock/pop concert and it's...very hilarious._

_ sparkyCSI: dreamy sigh men in suits! lol always a good thing. _

_demolished-soul: I wish they would say what happened to Louie on the show, especially since anything family-ish seems to affect Danny so much. _

_ truebluepatfan12: thank you!  
_


	62. Chapter 62

Since Louie Messer had awakened, Emma had found herself doing the same thing she'd done when he was unconscious. He was doing physical therapy while still in the hospital and since Danny couldn't be with him all the time, and neither could their parents, Emma often found herself keeping him company. Sure, he cursed when stretching or manuevering muscles and tendons that hadn't moved in a long time but other than that, they were usually pleasant visits. He was funny, definitely a flirt (proven by the amount of female nurses were stopped by his room after his physical therapy sessions), and all around a nice guy. He cared an awful lot for Danny, it was obvious without him even saying a word. The two of them had had a falling out years ago but Emma thought that both were seeing this as a second chance to make things better.

She was sitting in his room, flipping through the newspaper while he was in his bed after a particularly rough therapy session. It frustrated him to no end that he wasn't getting better faster, that he wasn't progressing more than he thought he should be. After all, he was a Messer. He should be able to bounce back like nothing had happened at all. He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face tiredly before glancing at her. "Know what I hate?"

Emma looked over the top of the page at him. It hadn't been a fun morning and while he was a genuinely nice guy, he tended to get a little frustrated with his lack of progress. So she'd learned not to say much of anything until he started talking. "What do you hate?"

"I hate that Sonny fucked me up like this. Without even a thought to our so-called friendship. I did so much shit for him and those punks and _this_ is what I get in return?"

Louie hadn't said much about the Tanglewood Boys to Emma. She'd learned a bit from Danny but had only heard the entire story from Don. She knew it was none of her business, no matter how nosey she was or how good of a friend she'd become to Danny or Louie. But she smiled just a little, closing up the paper and setting it on the edge of the bed in case Louie wanted to read it over. "I'm sorry they did this to you.."

"Yeah me too. Assholes." He shook his head with another sigh. "I'd love to get my hands on Sonny for putting Danny and my parents through this shit."

"That wouldn't get you anywhere."

"Probably not but it'd make me feel a hell of a lot better. Hell, right now I can't even make a fist with my left hand.." He held up his left hand as a point, squeezing his fingers shut as much as they would go before grimacing, dropping it back onto the bed.

"He'll get what's coming to him, don't worry."

"Yeah but it's not the same.." He shrugged a shoulder, turning his head to look up at the ceiling. "You know, when the first punch landed on my jaw my first thought was 'oh shit the wire..' I protected it the best I could. I know that'd be the only way to clear Danny from all this stuff. And then I started to pray. You know how long it'd been since I prayed? Probably fifteen years or something. I just wanted them to leave me the fuck alone, I wanted it to be over I guess. Guess I never thought Sonny would do that either though. But he'd always been a bit of a loose cannon. That's why I made Danny leave that night at the stadium. I knew what was going to happen and I didn't want him apart of it.."

"And things weren't the same after that night?"

Louie shook his head before shifting his gaze back to her. "Nah not really. I didn't want him asking questions. I told him we dropped that guy off and then went on to Atlantic City. But I didn't want him asking any other questions. So I pushed him away. feel bad about it now.." He smiled some, "you'd make a good therapist you know."

"Oh please!" Emma laughed, no she would definitely not be a good therapist. "I know what it's like though, to need someone to listen to you."

"Can I ask what happened to you?"

She frowned some but nodded her head. "I didn't know you knew about that."

"Dan mentioned it last time he was here for longer than five minutes. Said some guy attacked you in your building."

Emma hadn't talked about it in what seemed like forever. It was like after Aiden died that it had all just gone away. Well, not completely gone away. Emma still felt herself looking over her shoulder at times, and being alone in the dark for some reason freaked her out more than she liked to admit. Even though Pratt was in jail and heading for trial, she still felt like he was after her. Of course that wasn't true, but it was hard to get over the psychological affects. She hadn't talked to anyone about it though, content to forget about it. After all, if she could forget about it then she thought it'd be easier to get over.

She got visibly uncomfortable though under Louie Messer's intense gaze, instead staring down at the floor under her feet. "I uh..yeah. He ended up being this guy that's apparently attacked and raped more than one woman. He also killed Aiden."

He nodded. "That's what he said. You okay?"

She sighed and looked over at him. "Do I have to talk about it?"

He held up his hands, smiling some. "Of course not. But I figured if you wanted to talk...I'd listen."

"I don't know. It seems like just when I think I'm getting over it that some loud noise startles me or I feel like I'm being stared at. The thing is, I know he's in jail. I know he's not going to be released _ever_ but...I don't know. It feels like I can't get over it enough to act normal."

"I think that's normal Emma. You talked to anyone? I know the nurse's keep mentioning to me about seeing some damn psychologist and while I'm not sure it'll help, least it's an option?"

"Oh I know that..I just don't know if I can actually _talk_ about it with some random person."

He smiled at that. "I'm random enough."

Emma laughed some at that because it was kind of true. "All right, you might be on to something there."

"Yeah so if you want to talk about, just let me know." He grinned, "Not like I'm exactly going anywhere or anything."

"I just feel like I can't talk about it with anyone. My mom was freaked out enough, threatened to come up here and beat the guy senseless. Don has enough to worry about without me adding to the stress."

"I'm sure he doesn't feel like that though."

She shrugged. "I don't know. I just need to see if I can get over all of this on my own. Then we'll see."

Louie looked around the room before grinning again. "Well if you do want to talk about it, or anything else, I think you know where to find me."

"Oh yeah, I'm sure I can find you easily enough for now." She laughed softly. "Thanks Louie."

* * *

_AN: thanks for the reviews on such a short chapter yesterday. was being an ass again and not letting me upload this chapter until just now (seriously, it's annoying me now. hmph). But yeah, good luck to those heading towards the end of the school semester and going into finals :) _


	63. Chapter 63

Emma was beginning to think all she'd see in front of her was a computer screen with photo editing software open in front of it. It seemed like that's all she looked at. Brightening, contrasting, sharpening, cropping. It seemed to be all she did lately! Even as she spent an early morning in front of the computer, putting finishing touches on the band she'd been doing freelance work for, it still felt like a never ending battle. But once she'd packaged everything, sent a quick e-mail to their manager who would be waiting for it all to arrive on the other side of town, she headed out to drop it off in the mailbox. Her day was just beginning with that and then a shift down at the gallery, but Emma hoped it'd be slow. Slow enough where she could maybe sneak in a cat nap or two without anyone noticing.

That day had dawned bright and warm, with a light Spring breeze blowing through the city. _Spring time in New York City._ It felt as if everything had begun to bloom and open up, even though it'd been fairly warm for a good while already. But people looked brighter, happier as they all crammed their way onto a train or hurried down the street at a pace Emma couldn't understand. Even she felt as if things were just a bit brighter with the world. After all, the big job was done and she'd done a pretty good job, if she did say so herself! It'd taken a lot of her free time for the past little while but she had some things to add to her ever-growing portfolio and she'd gained new experiences. Even Don, the least knowledgeable person when it came to art/photography, had been impressed with some of her shots of the band that she hoped would take off one of these days. They were a young bunch of guys but were talented and...okay, if she was maybe quite a few years younger she'd even consider them cute. In all honesty, if Emma could've spent the rest of her life doing photography like that and making a living? She'd do it in a heartbeat. It was fun and interesting, she got to meet lots of new people (who weren't really that stuck-up), the possibilities of travel were endless. The idea hadn't really occured to her until this band's manager made mention of having a touring photographer with them, to capture everything as the band started a country-wide tour. Emma was interested, at least semi-interested but hadn't brought up the subject to Don or any of her other friends. She'd have to leave her cozy little apartment in the city. She'd have to leave the city, that just seemed out of this world! She'd be away from everything familiar and she sometimes didn't like change. But the big thing was leaving behind her boyfriend.

It seemed crazy to her, as she stood in the crowded train on that Spring morning, that she was thinking of leaving the city for a job touring all over the country (and maybe the world). Her and Don had just fallen back into their familiar relationship it seemed, could she really leave it all behind? The job would be fun, sure, but she just wasn't positive she could leave and still be able to come back and have everything the way it used to be.

* * *

She'd been at work for what seemed like forever. At least, it'd felt longer than it really was. People had, had appointments all morning long. Coming in to look at art work, some buying things and others just browsing. Her and Luisa had been on their feet most of the morning. It was sometime around lunchtime when Marianne burst into the store, looking as if she'd seen a ghost. Luisa shared a look with Emma before approaching their boss. "Are you okay? You're white as a sheet!"

Marianne set her things down, motioning for them to follow her into the back. The small tv they had in the breakroom only got basic cable channels but she flipped it on anyway. The three women stood around the tv as the news flashed on to a building, on fire with smoke billowing out of the front. The front where a large hole was located. Their immediate first thought was _'oh no not again'_ seeing as they'd all been in the city on 9/11 and had dealt with the chaos and fear of that day. Marianne sat down heavily. "I heard that just as I was leaving to come here. They don't know what's caused it or anything."

Luisa glanced back at Emma. "You don't think it's another terrorist attack...do you?"

"Well, it's not like that's a huge landmark...so I'd guess not." Emma shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know though. Guess we'll have to wait and see."

Marianne sighed as her eyes were fixated on the grainy images on the tv. It looked like chaos all over again. People running out of the smoke, some looking injured and others just looking lost. "This is so crazy.."

Emma chewed on her bottom lip out of habit as she moved to her bag, digging through it for her cell phone. Instinct was telling her to call him. Just to make sure he answered. She hit his number on the speed dial and held it up to her ear. Surely he wouldn't be down there. He was probably out on another call anyway. But it would've been nice if he answered. She let it ring four times before hanging up and tossing the phone back into her bag. Luisa smiled some at her. "Don't worry your pretty little head. That boyfriend of yours is probably out somewhere else."

"I know. He wouldn't be down there anyway. He's probably just left his phone in his car for some reason or another."

They stayed glued to the tv for what seemed like hours. But the media knew less about what happened but were having a field day speculating on what could've happened. Terrorism hadn't been totally voided out but a gas leak had.

Marianne finally looked at her two employees and told them to go home. They weren't getting anything done and probably wouldn't as long as uncertainty hung heavy in the air. Emma grabbed her things, tried Don's cell phone one more time and then headed home. The streets and sidewalks were crowded but it was hard to tell if it was because it was a nice day in New York or because people were freaking out. Instead of taking the subway route home, she found an empty cab and prepared herself for a longer commute to her building.

* * *

The apartment seemed so dark and empty when she finally got there, although that was how it looked that morning when she'd left it. Dropping off her bag near the door, she kicked off the heels she'd put on earlier and thought of changing into something comfortable. If she was going to have the afternoon to herself, she might as well be comfortable. Flipping on the tv she left it on one of the local news channels as she moved through the apartment, picking up clothes and other things along the way before going to change her clothes.

The knock at her door was unexpected to say the least. She'd just pulled a t-shirt over her head and was pulling on a pair of jeans when it came. Emma thought of not answering it and while that was a pretty good idea, the person on the other side of the door had other plans because whoever it was knocked again. Sighing and grumbling just a little, she made her way to the door and unlocked it before pulling it open.

She'd been expecting a neighbor or even her landlord but not a uniformed police officer. "Emma Lewis?"

His voice was tight with strain and while he looked the part of 'cop', his eyes were relaying something else. She frowned but nodded, "yes?"

"I need you to come with me."

Well Emma knew she hadn't done anything illegal as of late so she wasn't being arrested. "Um..why?"

"Detective Taylor requested that I escort you to the hospital. Detective Flack has been injured."

"Injured? What'd you mean, _injured_?" So that'd been why he hadn't answered. She moved back into the apartment, immediately going into auto-pilot. It had to be bad if Mac sent for her. If it was anything less than...well, bad then they wouldn't have bothered. Shoes went on her feet and she made sure she had her bag before following the officer out into the hallway. "Is he okay?"

His eyes were relaying fear of the unknown. He was probably barely out of the academy and had most likely seen some pretty bad things anyway. "I don't really know, ma'am."

"Where's Mac? What the hell happened?"

"Bombing downtown."

"That's where he got hurt?!" No wonder he hadn't answered when she called, he was hurt somewhere and there was she attempting to call him. Here she'd been watching it all unfold on tv and had no clue. But it wasn't like she could've known anything unless she had some psychic powers she'd been hiding all these years.

"Yes ma'am." The over-politeness of the officer was nice and appreciated and all but Emma wanted details. Was he hurt badly? Was he going to live? There'd never been a point where Emma had thought Don Flack Jr. _wouldn't_ be in her life somehow. Oh sure she knew the risks he took day in and day out but honestly? Flack had always seemed invincible.

"I don't have many details to give you, just that Detective Taylor wanted to send for you. They're doing everything they can to find out what all happened."

She just nodded as they got into the elevator and rode it down to the lobby in silence. "Was anyone else hurt?" She asked once they were outside and he opened the door for his cruiser.

"I don't think so, I wasn't told of anyone else."

Emma sighed as she sank back into the seat. This was turning into the worst day of her life. Unknown possilbilites were running rampant through her head. What if he died...?

No. She wasn't going to think like that. Flack was invincible. He was strong and stubborn as a mule. Some little bombing wasn't going to get him down and keep him there.

At least, she hoped not.

* * *

_AN: Apologies for the lack in updates. But I am done with school for the next little while so...I should be able to update more regularly. Ch. 64 is about half done as it is, I'll try to post it tonight:)_


	64. Chapter 64

Going into the hospital, she wasn't sure what to expect. The uniformed officer was nice enough to escort her up to the floor Flack had been moved up to and while he was a nice enough guy, it didn't do enough to calm her nerves at all. Her hands were shaking as she held tightly to her purse, she didn't know what to do really. Did she need to call anyone? What was she going to see when she got there? That was the worst part of it all.

They reached the floor he'd been moved to and the uniformed officer let her step out first. She looked around for a familiar face as she wasn't sure where she was exactly supposed to go. He pointed down the hallway where a few chairs were set up. "Looks like Taylor's here."

Emma managed a small smile, glancing back at the taller man (even though she could swear he was barely out of his teens). "Thank you for bringing me."

He shook his head. "Just doing my job. And I hope he's okay and stuff."

She nodded and turned, heading down in the direction of where Mac was sitting. He had his head down, concentrating on his phone that he held in his hands. He happened to glance up when he heard footsteps and stood up, meeting Emma about halfway from where he'd been sitting. "What happened?"

He had a grim look on his face which made Emma think the worst. "There was an explosion, Flack was the most injured. They took him into surgery and he's in recovery now."

She sighed, running a hand through her hair that had to be going every which direction at the moment. Recovery was a good thing, right? It meant he was still alive at least. "Is he going to be okay?"

Mac shrugged, putting his hand on her shoulder as he led her down the hallway, pointing to the room where Flack was at. "They don't know, it's a touch and go situation. But I thought it best if someone brought you here."

"I appreciate that. I was at work when it happened but I had...no idea."

They stopped in front of the glass window, both watching as a nurse messed with a few things on one of the monitors near the bed. Emma's eyes drifted to Flack, lying lifeless and pale against the stark whiteness of the hospital sheets. If it wasn't for his chest moving up and down, she could've sworn he was dead. "I've been in contact with his parents, they should be here any time."

She nodded, more than a little distracted as she kept her eyes on Flack inside the room. She felt as if she blinked or did anything then he'd disappear. "Did anyone else get hurt?"

"A few scraps and bruises but other than that, no." Mac smiled a little wryly. "Flack had to be the difficult one."

A laugh left Emma, despite the whole situation. But Flack did have the habit sometimes of making things more difficult than they needed to be. "That's true.."

"I've got to get back downtown, would you be okay here by yourself?"

She nodded, turning to Mac. "Yeah I'll be fine..are _you_ okay?"

He gave her another smile. "Of course. We've just got this case to crack. Keep me informed if anything changes?"

"Of course. And Mac?"

"Yeah Emma?"

"Thank You."

* * *

It seemed like ages before Emma was allowed in to see him. Of course, that was after she nearly threw a fit to one of the nurse's who was insisting that only immediate family members could go in to see him. Somehow that hadn't included Mac so Emma saw no reason why she couldn't go in to sit with him. His parents were on the way and hell, she was about as close to immediate family as one could get at the moment. Finally though, she met with one of his doctors who'd assured her that he was stable enough to have visitors. She hadn't been told the extent of his injuries, they were waiting for his parents before they went into much detail. But at long last, after what had felt like an eternity, Emma made her way into his hospital room.

It felt like that was where she'd spent most of her time lately. First with Louie Messer and now with Don. Hospitals were quickly becoming the 'in' place to hang out it seemed. She was beginning to despise hospitals though. How many people that she knew had to get hurt? It was getting a little ridiculous. But add in the fact that it was her boyfriend lying motionless in the bed and she hated hospitals even more.

She was scared. Scared that if she made a wrong move or touched anything then the monitors would start screeching. But as she moved closer to the bed, the only sound in the room was of the heart monitor and its steady beats. An empty chair sat in the corner of the room and she moved it closer to the bed, flinching some as it disturbed the silence in the room. Once it was settled close enough to the bed, she sat down and looked around the room. The silence was almost deafening except for the incessant beeping of that monitor. She was afraid to touch him, as if that'd hurt him more. Her eyes swept over him though, starting at the blanket that covered his lower half and moving up to his chest, covered by one of the hospital issued gowns. Oh he'd throw a fit if he knew he was stuck wearing one of those things. Emma could see the bandage covering his chest wound just under the hospital gown and halfway wanted to get a better look but decided against it. Both of his hands and arms were covered in abrasions, cuts and bruises. His neck and face had the same thing on them, especially a nasty looking cut under one of his eyes. He still looked pale but least he was breathing on his own now. Now if only he'd open his eyes...that was all she was waiting for. Reaching out hesitantly, Emma took the hand closest to her and laced their fingers together. His hand was still warm which made her feel a little better. He was warm. That meant he was still alive

* * *

_AN: eep it's late! 65 will hopefully be up later Sunday. If not then definitely Monday. Depends on if I can finish my own Christmas shopping ;) _


	65. Chapter 65

It felt like she'd been in there for only a few minutes when it'd probably been closer to an hour when a nurse entered the room, ushering Emma out into the hallway. She sighed softly and wandered down to the end of the hallway, where a vending machine was located. She dug around in her bag for some loose change, realizing just how thirsty she was. Once she had a soda in hand, she made her way back to the waiting area. She sat down, looking between the door to Don's room and her soda, fooling with the twist-off top. Being by herself was probably the worst thing about waiting. She had no idea what to do or where to go. Did she need to call anyone? Mac said Don's parents had been contacted so that seemed to be taken care of. Did she call her mom? Linda couldn't do much from Georgia and Emma knew if she called her now, her mom would be on the first flight to New York. While that could be good, it could also just make everything that much more stressful.

Rubbing her forehead with her free hand, she sat back and tried to get comfortable as she waited for the time when she could go back in with him. Somehow she'd felt a hell of a lot calmer when she was sitting with Don. This whole sitting in the waiting room, waiting for.._nothing_ was going to grate on her nerves.

And sure enough, a few minutes passed and she was nearly fidgeting with nervous, anxious energy. Her only saving grace was when she spotted Marta and Don Sr. They looked haggard, worried. Probably the same way she looked. Marta was the first to spot Emma and hurried over, engulfing the younger woman in a fierce, tight hug. Don Sr. followed suit after his wife had let her go, nearly swallowing Emma in his arms. It was comforting to have them there though. Don Sr. turned and immediately started to look for a doctor or anyone who looked to be in charge enough to give him any information on their son. Marta sat with Emma, watching her closely. "Are you okay sweetheart?"

Emma managed a smile and nodded. "I think so. I mean, I'm hanging in there about as well as I can. I just...don't know what to do with myself."

"You've been into see him?"

"For a bit." She chewed on her lip then, trying to keep the tears that were welling up in her eyes from falling. Oh this would be bad. Emma knew if she started crying now, there'd be a damn good chance that she wouldn't be able to stop. Sucking in a deep breath, she sat up straighter but kept her eyes on the floor and her shoes. "He's pretty banged up. But the doctor I talked to sounded optimistic."

His mother nodded, looking up as her husband came back around the corner. "They're doing some test on him but said we could go in when they were done." He looked to Emma before speaking again. "And I told them that you were as good as immediate family and to let you know anything that was going on, in case we're not here."

Considering how she'd been treated by a few of the nurse's and even the doctor, who didn't give out too many details, that made her feel a little better. Least now she'd have an idea of what was going on.

* * *

Leaving his parents alone with Don, she made her way down to the cafeteria. She felt like she had nothing else to do and going home wasn't an option at that point. She was in line to buy a cup of coffee, in fact she was about ready to hand the cashier some money when a hand jutted out in front of her and a voice say, "I've got this." 

Looking to her side, she could honestly say she'd never been happier to see Danny Messer. She nearly jumped him right then and there, but managed to refrain until they were out of the line and holding their own coffees. "How you holdin' up?" He asked although he felt like he knew the answer. He'd been there with his brother, he knew what it felt like.

She shrugged a shoulder, staring down at the dark liquid in the cup. "I'm okay.."

"Just okay? Damn..here I was hoping you'd be jumping for joy. You and me could go run off to Aruba now, you know." He said it teasingly, stooping down a bit to see her eyes.

Emma managed a small laugh, shaking her head as the two of them wandered through the cafeteria, finding a table to sit at. "As much as I'd love to go to Aruba, I don't think I'd want to go with you. No offense or anything."

Danny pretended to look hurt, complete with a fake sniffle before he grinned. "None taken. But how are you really?"

"I'm holding up. His parents are upstairs. I just couldn't...see their faces. His dad looked so heartbroken.."

He nodded. "I saw them in there but didn't want to disturb them. Figured you'd be wandering around.."

"Mac with you?"

"No, he'll probably show up later though. I wanted to check on you. Monroe and Hawkes did too but I figured a whole gang of us wandering around might be too much."

"Are they all okay?"

"Lindsay got a pretty nasty cut on her head but we're pretty sure she's got a hard head anyway so no harm done there." He smiled before taking a drink. "Kidding. But yeah they're fine. Working on catching this asshole."

She shook her head. "Why'd someone do that? I mean, what was the point?"

"I guess...to show we're still vulnerable." Danny shrugged. "I don't know."

"He shouldn't be up there like that Danny. I mean, what if he-"

Danny cut her off quickly. "He's _not._"

"No but what if he does?"

"Well he's just not. I owe him a Yankees game as it is. He's not allowed to back out on this one."

She leaned on the table some, working on drinking some of her own coffee. "What if he's...not okay if...when he wakes up?"

"Can't think like that." Danny shook his head. "Gotta keep thinking positive. I mean, the same kinds of things went through my mind with Louie. What if this and what if that? But..it's enough to drive you crazy. So you can't think like that."

"Yeah when'd you get so smart Messer?"

Another grin crossed his face. "It just comes naturally Lewis."

* * *

It seemed like there was a neverending stream of people who came to the floor Don was on. Emma, his parents, Mac, Stella, Danny, Lindsay and Hawkes had all made their appearances. His parents had eventually left to get some rest, with promises to be back in the morning. Danny, Lindsay and Hawkes had kept Emma entertained downstairs while Stella and Mac spoke with the doctors. There'd been no change with Don, just that he was breathing on his own and would have a neuro check in the morning. And for some reason, the morning seemed like light years away. 

She'd walked down with Danny and Lindsay as they were going to leave. Hawkes had promised to be back in time for Don's neuro check but had left to get some rest. Lindsay turned to Emma once they were outside, hugging her tightly. "He's going to be okay. You call me if you need anything though?"

Emma nodded, she felt like her and Lindsay would have a lot in common if they hung out more. Maybe after all this was over they could. "I'll definitely call. Especially if anything changes."

She smiled and moved towards Danny's car. He stepped forward to hug Emma as well. "Yeah if anything changes, you make sure to call. I'll be here in a flash."

Emma looked between him and where Lindsay was sitting in the passenger side of his car. "So..giving her a ride home, huh?"

He rolled his eyes but she could've sworn it looked like he was blushing just the slightest bit. "Shut up Em."

She laughed, pushing him towards his car. "Go. Don't stay out too late now."

"Yes _mom_." He shook his head with a grin, turning to go around to the driver's side.

Emma sighed, watching as his car pulled away. Once it was out of sight, she went back inside the hospital and headed for the elevators.

* * *

Stella and Mac were a bit of a godsend for Emma. Both stayed much longer than they should've. But she knew if neither of them had been there then she probably would've been climbing the walls. Both women were dozing in the ultra-uncomfortable chairs while Mac was in with Don. Other than the footsteps of a few nurse's as they did their routines, the floor was quiet. 

The hand on Emma's shoulder startled her awake though. Her vision was blurry until she blinked a few times, looking up to find Mac looking down at her. He held a finger over his mouth before motioning to Stella who was asleep next to her. She got up and followed Mac into Don's room. "He squeezed my hand a few minutes ago."

Emma smiled, feeling like a ton of weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Of course he hadn't woken up yet but he was at least somewhere in the realm of consciousness. "He did? Did he open his eyes or anything?"

Mac was smiling too, looking more relieved than he had when she'd seen him earlier. "Not yet but..I'm thinking he can at least hear us. I thought you might want to come in with him."

She nodded, glad that he'd thought of her. "Mac...I know you were in there when the explosion happened.." Danny had filled her in a bit more on what'd happened. If Mac hadn't been there then Don might be down in the morgue at that moment. She moved closer to the bed before glancing at the older man. "And I know that you stayed with him as long as you could..so just..thank you."

He looked a bit uncomfortable, like he didn't know what to say. But he just nodded and moved to the door. "I was always taught not to leave anyone behind." He said quietly and then was gone out into the hallway.

Emma stood near the bed, staring at him lying in the bed. He hadn't moved since she'd come in there, obviously but she still had the silly idea in her head that if she didn't keep an eye on him that he'd disappear somewhere. Finally, she took the seat next to the bed again and reached out, slipping her hand into his. It was still warm, like it had been earlier. Emma let out a sigh, leaning in enough to press a kiss against his knuckles. "You better not give us a scare like this again, you know." She said softly as she sat up straighter. "I mean, you've totally reached your quota for April Fool's pranks now."

There was no response from him but she had a feeling if he'd been awake, he would've said something more than a little smart-assed to her. She covered a yawn with her other hand and shifted around, trying to make herself as comfortable as possible in the chair. That was easier said than done but even as she manuevered herself around in the chair, Emma knew there'd be no way she was leaving now. She kept ahold of his hand as she leaned back in the seat, feeling her eyes start to get heavy again. The day had been so long and draining already, there wasn't much more she could take. Sleep came a little easier than it should've probably but it was mostly out of sheer exhaustion, so Emma wasn't exactly conscious when Don's fingers tightened around hers. Squeezing just enough to be there but not enough to disturb Emma's slightly restless sleep.

* * *

_AN: Thank you all for the reviews! Ch. 66 will most likely be up in the next couple of days :)_


	66. Chapter 66

Waking up the next morning as not the most comfortable feeling in the world. Her back ached. Her neck definitely ached. And she was pretty sure she'd never sleep in a chair again after that but surprisingly? She hadn't slept too badly. Of course, as Emma straightened up and tried to rub the crick out of her neck, she had to notice that Don was still peacefully sleeping in the bed. She let out a soft sigh as she stood up and tried to get the feeling back in her body. His color was a little better, he wasn't quite as pale or ghostly looking. The bruises were showing up more though and looked like they'd be painful to the touch.

She looked up as the door opened and a nurse came in. An older, rounder woman with dark hair and glasses whose shoes tended to squeak a little on the floors. She smiled softly at Emma, immediately putting her at ease. "I've been waiting for you to wake up, I'd kind of feel bad disturbing you."

Emma laughed softly, moving out of her way as she picked up Don's chart and started flipping through it. "I'm sorry, I honestly didn't mean to fall asleep so long."

"Oh I understand. Trust me, the beeping of the machines can lull any person to sleep. Or drive them crazy." She said with a wink. "I'm Marcia, I'll be on all day so I'm sure we'll run into each other more than once." She set the chart down on the edge of the bed before moving around to check his vitals.

"My name's Emma. I'm his-"

"Wife?"

A blush threatened to make its appearance on her face but she shook her head quickly. "I uh..no. Girlfriend."

"Ah..sorry." Marcia smiled over at her. "There I go assuming again, I tend to do that."

"It's okay. Really."

"Well he's looking a bit better than yesterday apparently. His vitals are looking good too. The doctor should be in shortly to take him for his neuro check." Marcia put the chart back where it'd been and gave her a smile. "If you need anything just let one of us know, okay?"

"I will. Thank you."

Emma rubbed her hands over her face as the nurse left. Wife? She shook her head and went into the bathroom in his room, hoping that maybe she didn't look as bad as she felt. Her hair was going all over the place and any make-up that she had on the day before had long since come off. Okay maybe she _did_ look as bad as she felt. A hot shower would be nice but no change of clothes...

"Emma?"

She poked her head out of the bathroom to see Stella standing in the doorway. "Yeah? Sorry I was trying to clean up."

Stella smiled, holding out a cup of coffee. "I figured you could use some."

Oh could she ever! Emma tried not to run to the other woman to get the coffee. "Thank you."

"How's he doing?" She asked as she glanced over at the bed.

"Same I guess. A nurse was just here, said they'd be taking him for his neurological check soon."

"Good." She smiled again. "Emma you look beat.."

"I feel like it." She shrugged a shoulder before taking another drink. "I don't want to go home though."

The two women moved out into the hallway, letting the room door close behind them. Emma looked up to see Mac coming from the elevator. He must've gone home sometime in the night as he was wearing new clothes and didn't look quite as haggard as he had before. "I really think you could use the rest Emma."

Mac nodded as he moved closer to the two women. "Stella's right, the last thing we need is for you to get sick from exhaustion."

Emma sighed, glancing into the room again. Home and a shower did sound pretty good. But the thought of her leaving and something happening and if she wasn't there...

She rubbed a hand over her face. She _was_ tired and looked like hell. But, still. "Let me think about it.."

Mac nodded after a moment. He knew she wasn't going to go too easily even if she needed a little bit of a breather from the hospital and everything going on. "All right but you let one of us know if you need a ride home or whereever."

* * *

While Don was taken to get a CT scan and for other tests, Emma found herself wandering down to the cafeteria again. She found Marta sitting at a corner table, a cup of coffee and an un-touched muffin in front of her. Joining Don's mother, Emma tried to smile but it didn't quite reach her eyes. Both were too worried to do anything else but sit in silence.

"I remember when Donnie was a kid, probably about five or six years old so this was well before you moved into the neighborhood. But he climbed this huge tree in our backyard. Could've given me a heart attack, I swear." Marta laughed softly at the memory, shaking her head. "I had been watching him but turned to get a load of laundry out of the dryer. In the two minutes I was gone from the window, he fell right oufo the tree. I heard the most God-awful scream and hurried out there. Found him on the ground in tears, holding onto his arm. I thought for sure he'd broken his arm or something else."

Emma smiled, she had a hard time imagining Don as anything besides a tall, stoic homicide detective. She'd known him some during his 'awkward' years of course but was glad she had his parents around to tell her some of the stories from when he was a little kid. "Did he break anything?"

"No, somehow he managed to only bruise himself up really good. His father could've killed him. But you know, the next weekend, he was right back in that tree as if nothing had ever happened."

"That doesn't surprise me one bit."

Marta smiled at her, reaching across to cover Emma's hands with hers. "I think that's what's going to happen this time. He'll bounce right back and be fine."

She nodded her head. Of course she wanted to believe that but all of the unknown possibilities that were there...well, nothing was for certain. But not wanting to freak his mother out, Emma agreed.

* * *

_AN: so thank you all for the kind reviews on the past couple of chapters. I've been worried about how to really handle the CoTP-related bits of the story so I'm glad you all are liking it and are happy! I haven't had as much writing time the past few days with work exploding and then family/friends coming in. But! I'm hoping to get some in tonight and hopefully post another chapter then. :) happy shopping if you're out braving the crowds for Christmas/any other holiday (hey I saw one fight today in a parking lot, it was the most hilarious thing I've seen in awhile. it's just a parking spot, not the fountain of youth)._


	67. Chapter 67

Emma found herself curled up in one of the uncomfortable waiting room chairs a few hours later. Exhaustion had caught up with her finally it seemed. Don had been brought back from all of his tests and truth be told, they were all just waiting for when he'd decide to wake up. Everything with his neuro check looked good, it was just up to him now. She'd debated about going home for a bit but had decided against it, still afraid if she left then something would happen. His parents had been in with him for awhile, which had led Emma to crash out in the waiting room.

Which is where Danny found her when he arrived late that afternoon. He shook his head with a smile as he approached the chair she was curled up in, sitting down in the empty one closest to her. He smiled to himself before reaching over and doing what every mature person does: he poked her in the side with his index finger. Emma jumped, startled out of her somewhat deep sleep and rubbed at her eyes, glancing around before her eyes landed on the grinning New Yorker next to her. "Hey Em, have a nice nap?"

She rolled her eyes and reached over, punching him in the shoulder. He just laughed as he sat back. "Sorry, it was too good to pass up. Plus, was that really comfortable?"

Pushing her hair out of her face, she shrugged a shoulder. "It was okay for the time being. I don't think I was asleep that long anyway. When'd you get here?"

"Just now. Thought I'd come check in. Plus, Lindsay was annoying the hell out of me to come make sure everything was okay." He eyed her for a minute. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah I think so. I mean, everything's checked out. He just has yet to wake up. Mac said he squeezed his hand but I haven't felt him move or anything." She sighed and sat back, stretching her legs out in front of her. "I thought about going home and taking a shower but I'm...well..I don't want anything to happen and I'm not here."

"What if I took you to my place? You can shower. I'll even let you borrow a shirt or something."

She smiled. "Oohh the rumors we could start!"

Danny laughed and motioned for her to stand as he did so. "C'mon I'm serious. You look exhausted."

"But you just got here..?"

"Yeah and?" Danny moved to the window before glancing at her. "He looks the same. I'm serious here Emma. Let's go get you a shower, grab a bite of real food, then we can come back."

The idea was pretty tempting. No one wanted to hang around a hospital just for the hell of it. A shower and the promise of real food sealed the deal. She nodded and poked her head into the room where Flack's parents were, told them where she was going and then left.

* * *

Danny was watching the news on tv with the volume about as low as it could go without being completely mute. Emma had crashed on his couch after taking a shower (and borrowing one of his sweatshirts) and while part of him did want to get back to the hospital to check on his friend, he figured Emma needed the rest more than anything. She'd only been asleep for forty-five minutes or so and he thought he'd let her sleep a little while longer before rousing her.

He was worried about his friend lying in the hospital bed. The fear of the unknown was almost too much to bear for any of them. Danny had dealt with a lot anyway, from his brother to Aiden and now Flack. He hoped that he was going to come out of this and be just like he was but taking a hit like that? Danny didn't know what Flack was going to be like when (or if?) he did wake up. They were all a little worried about Emma too. Sitting around a hospital bed 24/7 wasn't healthy for anyone. She seemed to be holding up okay though, they all knew she was stronger than even she thought she was but there was only so much one person could take. Don and her had been like two peas in a pod for so long, it was unthinkable that they'd be torn apart especially after all the stuff they'd gone through. Danny sighed and shook his head, rubbing a hand over his face. Silence in his apartment definitely led to too much thinking on his part.

Glancing over at the opposite end of the couch, he watched as Emma started to stir. Her eyes opened and she looked around, as if she wasn't sure where she was. But she smiled when she saw him, sitting up all the way. "Sorry. Was I asleep for long?"

He shook his head and turned off the tv. "Not really. I thought you needed the rest though. I was going to wake you up here in a few minutes anyway."

She sighed and stood up. "I have to admit that I am starving."

"Well good. Let's go grab something to eat and then head back over to the hospital." Danny stood from the couch and moved to find his jacket. "Pizza sound good?"

"Of course. Are you buying?"

"Is this a date and I wasn't informed?"

She laughed as she went to the door, pulling it open as she waited for him. "No! Smartass. Come on then, I'm starving."

* * *

She found herself sitting by Don's bed later that evening, against the insistance of both Danny and Mac who thought she needed to sleep in an actual bed that night. But no amount of begging, pleading or threatening (from Danny) was going to get her to move. His parents had left to get some rest of their own and while all of the CSI's had made appearances, Emma finally found herself alone.

She was reading through the New York Times when she spotted his hand moving. It was just a little movement, his index finger twitched and then his thumb followed suit. Emma blinked a few times, that hadn't been what she thought it was..right? The movement stopped and she figured it'd been her imagination.

But a few minutes later, out of the corner of her eye she spotted movement again. This time it was his foot, moving a little bit underneath the white hospital issued sheets. Putting the newspaper down in her lap, she raised an eyebrow as the movement stopped again. Glancing at the still face of her boyfriend, Emma couldn't help but quip, "Quit playing games Flack."

She half expected to see the Flack trademark smirk cross his face but there was nothing. She sighed and glanced back down at the paper where she'd been reading over some of the sports scores. She was either driving herself insane or Don was going to be doing the job for her.

Again, a few moments later she noticed movement again. This time it was his hand, all five fingers flexing as if he was trying to make a fist. Emma dropped the paper down in her lap again and kept an eye on him. Nothing else was moving except for his hand, but she sat still just in case. It seemed whenever she made a move, he stopped! His hand flattened out on the bed and she reached out, lacing their fingers together. It took a good, long moment but finally she felt his fingers tighten around hers. Her eyes lit up and she couldn't help the grin that spread across her face. Sure, it felt like her heart had stopped and was now pounding in her chest and she was sure she was close to tears but the feeling of elation...that was unexplainable.

His eyes blinked open a little while later. Those bright blue eyes contrasted against his face where stubble was beginning to grow from lack of shaving. Emma moved closer to the bed, almost holding her breath when his eyes fixated on her face. She was afraid he wouldn't recognize her, like his memory would be completely erased. And while there was a flicker of unfamiliarity, it was replaced quickly with recognition in his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing would come out as his throat was so dry. Emma shook her head and nearly stumbled over herself to stand from the chair. "No, no don't talk." She moved to step away from the bed but his hand tightened in hers, almost pulling her back towards the bed. She looked back at him and he shook his head slowly, tugging on her hand again. She sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed, well as much as she could fit. "Don I need to go get someone maybe.."

He shook his head again, keeping a tight hold on her hand. So tight that even if she wanted to there was no way she could get up and leave to find a nurse or doctor or anyone. She sighed softly but nodded her head. "Fine. I'll stay here for the time being. You know you gave us quite the scare, right? There will be no more getting blown to bits or anything of the sort. Got me?"

"Got you." was his quiet, hoarse, whispered response.

* * *

_AN: hope everyone had a good holiday (or you know, a free day off if you don't do the Christmas thing). Work is slowish this week so I'm hoping to get more written there. Look for ch. 68 sometime Wednesday :) _


	68. Chapter 68

One of his first thoughts when waking up was that he was sore. _Really_ sore. In fact, it felt like there was an elephant sitting on his chest. The next thought? He really wanted to know why people were talking so loud. And what was wrong with him? Oh.

_Oh._

It all came back in one flash in his mind. Walking to that building with Lindsay, through people dancing and singing, eating and drinking in the middle of the street. _Springtime in New York City_. He remembered saying that. Then the scene changed to him and Mac walking through the hallway. _A bomb._ A bomb? What the hell kind of freak puts a bomb in a ceiling? He hadn't said that out loud, just thinking it over and over as they ran through the hallway, trying to find everyone to get them out. He could remember hearing the sound, a deafening blast that he felt rush through him like crashing into a wave. He could remember hearing the roar of the building as it exploded, it'd sounded like something out of a movie. After that though, things got fuzzy.

Obviously he wasn't dead, he didn't think so at least. Because if he was dead and hearing Emma then that'd mean she was dead and well...damnit this was not Romeo & Juliet. It was then that Don figured he had to be in the hospital. Great. Of all places he had to end up, it was in one that smelled sterile and gross. With its white sheets and white walls. So he wasn't dead but he was in the hospital. That had to mean he'd been hurt in the blast. '_No shit dumbass,'_ He thought to himself.

First things first. He had to figure out if he could move. If he couldn't move then he might as well be dead. He was not the type of guy that could just lie around for the rest of his life. If he couldn't do his job then he didn't want to be alive anyway. So the first thing he did was try to get his mind to make his hand move. If his hand moved then they were halfway there!

Okay, so all he got was his index finger to move. Well he thought it was his index finger. He'd been conscious enough to be squeezing someone's hand, he thought it'd been Mac. Okay next move? The thumb. That moved with little effort which meant his brain was working enough to be able to move fingers. Next up? The foot. It took a little more thought on Don's part, cursing his body and brain for seeming to work against each other. But finally, he felt his foot move just a bit. And then he felt a sharp stinging pain rise up through his chest.

Okay, obviously he'd overexerted himself. But he was becoming more aware of his surroundings. He could smell perfume. A sweet smelling, flowery scent that he knew pretty well. He had bought it for Emma after all. He could hear the steady beeping of a monitor somewhere in the room, which was obviously hooked up to him. The pain he'd felt before had subsided some and he figured it was about time to open his eyes. His whole body warmed when he felt soft, small fingers slip into his. He kind of felt like going back to sleep then, just because he was so comfortable. But he squeezed her hand a little, just to let her know he was _there_. He'd be okay.

His eyes opened a few moments later, blinking quickly a couple of times. Who the hell made hospital rooms so damn bright? Geez. Plus his vision was blurry. Oh God, was he blind? He panicked for a quick second until his vision cleared. After all, he could make out the tiles in the ceiling. Turning his head, he came face to face with Emma, who looked like she was about to cry. He opened his mouth to tell her he was okay but nothing would come out. Well that was just not fair at all! His throat felt like it was on fire, raw and burning from having a tube shoved down it and then not talking for...how long was he out?

Emma moved to leave the room and he tugged her back, surprised by his own strength. He didn't want her to go just yet. He'd just seen her after however long of being out like a light. She looked tired, exhausted really. And damnit if he could talk it would really help. He shook his head when she said she needed to go get someone. Nope. She was not leaving just yet.

She gave him a look that said she was still worried but she sat down on the bed, closer to him than she'd been in days. "Fine. I'll stay here for the time being. You know you gave us quite the scare, right? There will be no more getting blown to bits or anything of the sort. Got me?"

Don managed a small smile and nodded. His voice finally found its way out of his mouth in a hoarse whisper but it was something as he said, "Got you."

* * *

The fuss being made over him as doctors and nurses floated in and out of his room was almost too overwelming. Emma had been ushered out of the room before he could protest. Why were they kicking her out? He was okay! He was alive! But no, she'd disappeared out of his sight. His doctor, an aging balding older guy, was asking him questions. What color was the sky? What year was it? What's his name? He was getting aggravated, his voice had come back but he didn't even sound like himself. He sounded like some old guy who'd smoked three packs of cigarettes everyday for the last thirty years. He still sounded hoarse, tired really. And here everyone was, poking and prodding like he was some freak show.

Although he did have a cute nurse fawning over him as she checked the wound in his chest. A redhead who didn't look old enough to even be out of high school. She was cute, although she was not Emma. Okay he had to be head over heels for Emma if he wasn't even considering trying to flirt with the cute nurse. Plus the redhead talked too much. Reassuring him that she was out of high school, out of college too. Telling him what injuries he'd sustained and what she was doing as she pulled some of the gauze and tape back from the wound. And she definitely did not smell like Emma.

He was tired. It took too much energy to grit his teeth when they forced him to sit up. It took too much energy to breathe as they asked incessant questions. Of course he knew what color the sky was, what year it was and what his name was. It took too much to look around the room as people came in and out, but none were familiar faces.

Finally though, the redheaded nurse left him alone and for the first time since he opened his eyes, the room was quiet. His eyes closed momentarily, until he heard the door open.

He looked up, smiling a bit when he saw Emma and Mac. Emma took her seat next to him and he immediately reached for her hand, just needing the bit of familiar touch at the moment. Mac was smiling as he moved to the other side of the bed. "You've given us quite the scare Flack."

He smiled, shrugging a shoulder the best he could even though he could feel the tape/gauze combination pulling at his skin. "Gotta make things difficult." He said before closing his eyes again. He was just so tired. He could hear the two of them talking as he drifted off into a slightly drug-induced sleep. But he figured he could use the rest, might as well take advantage of it while he could.


	69. Chapter 69

If he thought that waking up was painful and hard, Don was in for quite the shock when his doctor actually made him get _out_ of bed. His legs felt like jelly and he felt a bit ashamed as he was helped to swing his legs over the side of the bed. He had way too much pride to let them help him and grumbled all of the way. But once his feet hit the cold linoleum floor, he started to feel a little bit better. He could do this no problem. He was Don Flack Jr after all! Piece of cake.

Yeah right.

Marcia, one of the nurse's he'd become familiar with in the past week or so, was by his side as he stood wobbily from the bed. She had a firm hand wrapped around his upper arm and sadly, most of his weight was on her. She didn't complain or even seem to mind so it was painfully obvious that Marcia had done this before. His muscles and bones protested loudly with each little movement and he was sure that the stitches holding his wound together were pulling. A mental image of the hole ripping open and all of his internal organs spilling out filled his mind but he quickly decided he'd seen one too many horror movies.

He'd mentally prepared himself for walking that day. In all honesty, Don was beginning to go a little stir crazy with being stuck in a hospital bed. All he did was sleep and stare at the four walls of his room. He had more than his fair share of visitors which made the days go by quickly but the nights had to be the worst. At night he was alone with his thoughts and any kind of crazy mental image that his brain could conjure up. Flashes of the explosion would come flooding back every now and then but he didn't remember much from that day, just what people had told him to fill in the blanks. After hearing Mac talk about it, he wasn't so sure he wanted to remember everything. But after mentally preparing himself to walk that day, he found himself physically unable to take more than a few steps away from the bed. Marcia was by his side still but could tell his energy was waning, which was more than a little frustrating for him. He wasn't used to this. He wasn't used to being so damn immobile. She helped him back into bed and checked a few of his vital signs before leaving the room. Closing his eyes, Don sighed and grumbled under his breath. Obviously his recovery wasn't going as quickly as he'd like it to. Mostly he just wanted out of the hospital. It was frustrating to know he couldn't do his job at the moment. There was a slight possibility of him not even going back to work but for Don that wasn't really an option. After all, if he wasn't on the force then what was he going to do with his time? Knit? No, definitely not.

His eyes opened when he heard the door open and he was sure that it was going to be his doctor, coming in to check that damn wound again. It's not like much changed with it in a few short hours or anything, it still looked gross and he still would gripe about being left with a nasty scar. Luckily his other bruises and cuts had already started the healing process, which made him think that he was getting better that much more quickly. But instead of the doctor, he had to smile. Emma.

One of his saving graces while being stuck in the hospital. She was one of the constant visitors, other than his parents and the CSI's. The good thing about Emma was that she didn't treat him like a patient, like he was disabled. She brought the newspaper to him, caught him up on all the sports scores he was missing out on. She'd even went as far as to bring in some cheesy board games to keep them entertained on her days off when she could spend more time there. She even brought her work with her sometimes, sitting beside the bed with her laptop and going through e-mails and editing pictures, asking for his opinion here and there.

But he still didn't like her seeing him so...hospitalized. It felt like he couldn't do anything on his own. Of course that'd change eventually but no one ever said that Don Flack Jr was patient. He wanted to be better _now_. She had yet to see the total extent of his injuries and while he hadn't exactly seen all of them, he knew they were bad. He knew he looked like a freakshow underneath the highly unattractive hospital gown.

She took the seat next to the bed and let out a sigh. "So today was a really long day.."

She hadn't brought the paper with her that day, which meant he'd have to ask Marcia to grab one for him later maybe. Not that the news was ever anything good to read, but it was somewhat entertaining! He smiled and reached for her hand, lacing their fingers together. He couldn't help but notice how bruised and cut up his hand still looked, especially next to her nice, neatly manicured ones. "How come today was so long for you?"

"I don't know. It just seemed neverending. So what's been going on?"

He chuckled, turning his head to look straight up at the ceiling. "Well I moved a whole two inches from the bed."

"You walked? Isn't it too soon?"

"Nope. Apparently not. Marcia was in here, helped me get up."

"How'd it go?"

He gave her a sideways look and shrugged a shoulder. "I feel like I'm learning to walk again, honestly."

"You know it won't be like that forever though. You just haven't walked in awhile."

"Yeah..." He trailed off. He didn't really want to talk about it, it was frustrating enough for him. He was definitely impatient.

Emma sighed, pulling her hand from his and dropped it into her lap. He had these moments of depression that surfaced every now and then but were becoming more frequent the longer he was stuck in the hospital. "When are they going to start physical therapy?"

"As soon as the doctor clears me." Don had quit looking at her, instead focusing on the ceiling. Suddenly he wasn't in the mood to talk anymore and kind of wished he was alone. Funmy how one second he wanted company and the next he just wanted to be left alone.

"Well then you'll start seeing some progress, I'm sure."

"Can we just...not talk about it anymore?"

Emma looked a little surprised but nodded her head anyway. He hadn't outright blown up at her but during these little random moments of depression he could get quite close to it. The frustation and anger was coming out and usually was being taken out on whoever happened to be around him at the time, namely Emma. "Yeah I'm sorry. Do you need anything?"

"You're leaving?"

He finally looked at her, raising an eyebrow. What, she came for a whole five minutes and now she was going to leave?

"You don't seem to want the company! I'm tired Don."

"You think I'm not?"

Uh oh, now he was just trying to pick an argument. Emma sighed and ran a hand through her hair before she stood from the chair. "Quit trying to pick a fight. I know you're tired. You're tired of being stuck in bed and tired of waiting to heal. I know that."

"Then why the hell are you leaving?"

"You didn't seem that excited for me to be here!"

He huffed and shook his head, turning away from her. Well if she was just going to be like that then she could leave for all he cared. Even if he didn't want her to go secretly.

Emma closed her eyes for a brief moment, she _knew_ he was aggravated and irritated and everything else like that. She would be too if she were in the same predicament. Leaning over enough to press a kiss against his cheek she said. "I'm going to grab the paper. Do you want anything to drink? Eat?"

She straightened up and waited for his answer. Don could really act like a stubborn little boy when he wanted to and it was highly irritating for anyone on the other end of it. But he finally nodded his head. "Get whatever."

Emma smiled and moved towards the door. Maybe they were getting somewhere and maybe now, he could begin to really recuperate.


	70. Chapter 70

_AN: Okay quick thank you to those who have stuck around, even when my muse doesn't ;) But I just wanted to give a heads up that school has started back up for me. Good thing is, it's not nearly as hectic as it was last semester and I'm not working as much. I figured I needed some sanity and somewhat of a life! So I don't think that it will affect me updating much, there might just be more updating on weekends than through the week. _

* * *

It was hard not to spend all of her time in the hospital with Don. Of course that was where Emma _wanted_ to be but frankly, she had to pay rent. That and as the days went on, Don wasn't exactly a ray of sunshine to be around. He'd gotten grumpier and more stubborn as his recovery went slower than he thought it should. He was starting physical therapy and while everyone thought that would lift his spirits, it just wasn't yet. He'd even gone as far as to snap at Danny and at Hawkes when they were visiting one day. Emma and Don's parents had also been on the receiving end of one of his rants. All were understanding, even though Emma could admit that it hurt her feelings sometimes.

She was at work, more busy doodling on a scrap piece of paper than doing actual work when the phone rang. Not an unusual occurence of course but who the person was on the other end was pretty unusual.

Louie Messer.

She wasn't surprised that he knew what had happened to Don, obviously him and Danny had been talking more often and actually getting along. She was a little surprised when he asked her out to lunch though. "Are you asking me out on a date Louie?"

He laughed on the other end. "And get my ass kicked by that boyfriend of yours? No way. It'll be our little secret though."

She laughed. "Louie!"

"What? I'm just sayin'. No I'm kidding. But I do think you should join me for lunch."

"Oh should I?"

"Mmhm. I'll even buy. C'mon, I'm five minutes away. You can't say no now."

Of course she couldn't say no when he was so close. She sighed, lunch was sounding pretty tempting at that moment. "Okay, okay fine. I think I can sneak out for a bit before I die of boredom."

"Great, I'll see you in a few minuts."

"Wait! How'd you know where I worked?" She asked.

He let out another laugh. "My brother."

* * *

Louie was still moving pretty slowly but was managing to get around pretty well since being released from the hospital. He definitely looked better, that was for sure. He wasn't as pale and obviously didn't look as beat up. But he was still healing too and had been resigned to the notion that all things take time. Even for the impatient ones. Danny had come to visit him the night after Flack had snapped at him. Danny was scowling, looking a lot like a little boy who had a toy taken away by his best friend and the best wouldn't give it back. He'd spilled it all to Louie though. Everything from Flack and Mac being in the building at the time of the explosion, Lindsay being just outside the building. She'd been lucky, damn lucky to not be hurt. And then the not knowing if Flack would make it through surgery to traipsing all over New York for the slightly psycho man trying to make a point to the city that no, they were not safe five years after 9/11. Then he told how he was worried about Emma and Flack's parents. They'd been there every step of the way, Emma barely sleeping...hell, barely leaving his bedside. His parents traveling to see him almost every day then driving home at night just so they could rest in their own beds. But he was mostly worried about Emma. Oh sure, she'd smile and say she was fine but was she really? It had all taken a toll on them all. Danny was just afraid when one of them would snap.

So cue Louie who decided he needed to see Emma for himself. After all, she'd helped him and been there for him without even knowing who he was as a person. Not many people would spend precious days off with a man in a coma. When he walked into the gallery he shouldn't have been surprised at what he saw, yet he was. Emma looked exhausted, physically and mentally. He could swear she was thinner than when he'd last seen her, which had been a bit but still! As the two of them left the gallery in Marianne's capable hands, he noticed how much smaller she seemed. She was pretty short as it was but now he could swear that he could fold her up and stick her in his pocket with little trouble.

They ended up at a small deli and after getting their food, they moved outside to sit and eat. Emma was pretty quiet as she picked at her sandwich. Eventually though she looked up and caught him watching her. "What? What?" Hopefully there wasn't food on her face or anywhere else!

Louie shook his head. "Nothin'. You just look...tired."

She smiled some, she'd heard that a lot lately. "I know. I haven't been sleeping very well I'll admit."

"Why not?"

"Too much on my mind. Too much to do." She shrugged a shoulder before looking down at her sandwich.

"How's Flack?" He asked after another momentary lapse in conversation.

"He's okay, I think."

"You think?"

"Yeah I think. I mean, he's looking better and he seems to be getting back to his old self but I don't know. He's a grouch to be around." Emma looked up and started looking around worriedly. She'd never said that out loud before. Was it insensitive? Oh god, she hoped that wasn't insensitive.

But Louie laughed and nodded his head knowingly. "I know that feeling. It sucks to be confined to a bed, not able to do things at your leisure."

"He's gotten pretty mean Louie."

"Yeah, Danny told me."

She sighed before taking a bite of her own sandwich. It was a good sandwich, it just felt like she had to expend too much energy to even eat anymore. "I know he's frustrated and I can even understand why. But he got so pissed off the other night while I was there.."

"How come?"

"I got a job offer. Mind you, it doesn't pay much more than I make now but it's all for the experience and opportunity. I've been working on my portfolio and I need more. But I'd worked for this little band, great group of kids who actually have talent believe it or not. Their management hired me to do some promotional shots but now? Now they're wanting a tour photographer."

"You?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I know it'd take me away from here and I know it'd be hard to do the whole relationship thing but I just can't help but think of what a great opportunity it could be. I'd have tons of stuff to add into my portfolio and it's only for three months, so not like I'd be gone for a year."

He wrapped up his trash and moved to throw it away before sitting back down next to her. "I sense a 'but' coming.."

"But then _this _happened. I didn't know if he'd wake up, what he'd be like if he did wake up, if he'd be able to walk or talk...any of that stuff. So I put it in the back of my mind." Emma shrugged a shoulder as she continued to pick at her food. "I told him about it the other night and he just flew off the handle. I'm pretty sure if he could've moved fast enough he would've thrown me out of the room himself. I haven't gone back, but really haven't wanted to either. Is that bad?"

"Nah not bad. It is a good opportunity for you. You know, you gotta do what's right for you too." Louie sighed as he sat up straighter. Unfortunately he could see the story from both sides. Flack felt like she'd be leaving him and she was just torn on whether to take what could be a great experience or stay behind. "I do see where he's coming from though. Well, from the idiotic stubborn patient side at least. Maybe he feels like you'll leave him completely if you go off and do this? After all, he's not the same person he was just a few weeks ago."

"I know. I keep going over it in my head, like all the time. I don't want to leave and him be mad, that's one thing. But then I don't want to feel like he's keeping me here. Oh that sounded bad.." Emma laughed and covered her face with her hands. "I just don't want to be stuck..and I feel like I'm stuck if I don't do something. I know he wants to be better quickly and it's just not happening as fast as he'd like. We all know he's not the most patient of people.."

"Do you love him?"

Louie asked it so quickly she wasn't sure she heard him correctly. But then her brain translated it and she blinked. Did she love him? Well of course she loved him but did she _love_ him? "I...don't know.." She answered finally.

Louie grinned. "Uh huh."

"What!"

He laughed as he stood up, pulling her with him. "You'd better tell him before you go on tour or whatever. And there better not be rumors in the papers of you sleeping with the lead singer."

"He's 19 for Christ's sake, it'd be practically illegal. And hey! I haven't decided if I'm taking it or not."

He gave her a look as they started walking back towards her place of employment. "Yeah you have."


	71. Chapter 71

If Don thought that nearly being blown to itty, bitty pieces was bad, he was quickly learning that physical therapy was much worse. It was like going through boot camp, complete with the overly loud and zealous drill sergeant in his face 24/7. It was harder than he thought it'd be, although he wasn't going to be admitting that anytime soon. He honestly had figured it'd be pretty much a walk in the park. After all, he'd gone through the academy years ago. He'd worked out more than any one person should. Physical therapy? That was going to be easy as pie.

Yeah right.

There were few things that he hated, since hate was a pretty strong word to use on anything or anyone. But Don could honestly say that he hated his physical therapist. A short, stocky woman with short dark hair and beady brown eyes. She was not attractive in the least, which he guessed was a good thing since he didn't need to be distracted. And he definitely was not going to be checking her out anytime soon. Jessie was her name and she didn't chit-chat or anything with him, content to just beat the crap out of him. Or at least it felt like that. She hadn't looked like she weighed much but as Don struggled with all the exercises, he found that she could probably lift him if she really had to. But he hated physical therapy. It was like going to hell every day. But he went. He went because he knew the more he did it, the more progress he'd make. And the more progress he made meant he was that much closer to going back to work. Back to normal.

Going home had been the first goal of his recovery. He didn't want to spend one more second in the hospital than he had to. He was sick of the doctors and nurses coming in at all hours of the night or having them help him everywhere. Why'd he need help when he could just as well do it on his own? He was also sick of the constant stream of visitors and having to put a smile on his face. That was the hard part. Especially with his parents. He had to put on a brave face for them even though they knew with his type of job that there was a chance of him getting injured or worse. But he still put the brave face on, like everything was fine. Danny, Mac, Stella, Hawkes and Lindsay all had gotten to see some of the other side though. Of the man who was scared he wouldn't be able to work again, of the man that was afraid to ask for help. Emma got the short end of the stick. The angry, depressive side of Don was taken out on her, even though he knew he shouldn't take it out on anyone.

But he managed to keep that brave face on enough to be discharged from the hospital. Physical therapy would be three times a week (or more if he had anything to do with it). While Don had been hoping to go home, he actually ended up with Emma in her apartment. It was a nice change of scenery and after a few days it did start to feel like home. Or at least a little more home-like.

The two of them hadn't really lived together so it was a whole new situation for them both. Obviously they'd stayed overnight at each other's apartments before but they'd always had their own place to go home to in the morning or whatever. Now they were stuck in a not-so-big place with each other. It made for some uncomfortable moments, especially since Emma had tried talking to him more than once about the possible job offer. He'd just grumbled and moved on. It wasn't something he wanted to think about.

Emma had found it frustrating to even be around Don while he worked through whatever mental issues he had. He refused to talk to anyone about it, least of all a psychiatrist. But she noticed little things, like how the sound of the garbage trucks in the mornings startled him and made him jump or flinch. It was weird to see someone like Don, someone who seemed to big and tough, seemed awfully vulnerable now. Other than just that though, he seemed like a completely different person. He was constantly moody and always seemed as if there was a huge chip on his shoulder. She wanted him there, if she hadn't wanted him there then she wouldn't have offered her apartment but she was just finding it irritating to be around him.

Especially when all he did was sit on the couch and watch daytime tv. Sure she did the same thing on her days off but when she left in the morning, he was watching it and when she came home in the evenings, he was still watching it. There was some days when Emma was sure he hadn't even left the couch.

She sighed one evening as she flopped down on the couch next to him. Don's eyes stayed on the tv though, flipping channels every so often. ESPN to one of the local news stations. Local news station to ESPN. Over and over again. Was it some kind of game? She had no idea but nothing was holding his interest too long as he kept changing the channel.

"Don.."

"What?"

There was that pesky, annoyed, irritated tone he'd had with her for the past few days. She sighed and sat up. "Let's go out to dinner."

It'd been...forever it seemed since they'd gone out on something that could be constituted as a date. "No."

Rolling her eyes, Emma sat back with a scowl on her face. Part of his recovery was that he was going to have to get out of the apartment. Do things. Instead of sitting around like one big couch potato. "Why not? It'd be fun. We could go to that cute little Italian place down the street.."

"I said _no. _What about that didn't you understand?" He practically growled, glowering over at her.

Well, someone was in a fantastic mood that evening! Emma shook her head and stood up. "You're acting like a baby, you know that?"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me! This is ridiculous Don. Have you even moved since this morning?"

"Yes." He crossed his arms over his chest, flinching a little as he shifted just the wrong way.

"Bullshit."

"Emma just leave me alone!"

"I want to go eat!"

"So eat!"

She threw her hands up in frustration and stormed out of the living room. He was being truly ridiculous about it all and it didn't seem all that fair. Not to her, not to their friends, and definitely not to him. She re-entered the living room a few moments later and leaned against the couch. "Get up."

He looked up at her, raising an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because I said so damnit. Don't make me come over there and yank you up either."

Don laughed at that. It was a pretty funny mental image because she was a shrimp compared to him. "No you won't."

"Don. Get up! Quit acting like a jerk! I want to go to dinner with my boyfriend, which would be _you. _So get your head out of your ass, go put on a different shirt and let's go eat." She huffed, putting her hands on her hips.

He blinked at her momentarily before pushing himself up off the couch slowly. It was slow going as his muscles hadn't been used in a good couple of hours. Jessie would make him pay for that, he was sure. He shrugged a shoulder as he brushed past her. "I'll be right back."

Emma was surprised. He'd given in kind of easily that time. Maybe they were making a little progress this time.

* * *

_AN: Ch. 72 is about half-done at the moment so I will hopefully get it up Wednesday (and before the new episode YAY!) have a good Wednesday ;)_


	72. Chapter 72

He watched her carefully from across the table, looking down just in time so she wouldn't see him staring at her. He knew he'd been a jerk lately, it was just everything felt like it was piling on top of him and well...usually she was the only one around to take everything out on. A stupid excuse, he knew it was stupid. Which was why he'd given in. Especially after seeing that Emma was probably close to punching him. And for such a small woman she could definitely throw a punch.

She had her head down as she looked over the menu in front of her. He just knew even without really looking at her at that moment in time that she was chewing on her bottom lip, trying to decide what to get that night. They'd been to this little Italian restaurant countless times. And Emma always got the same thing. He had no idea why she was pretending to look at anything other than a ravioli dish. Don ducked his own head down to look over his menu. He had to admit he was starving, although he wasn't going to admit it out loud. The couch had been especially comfortable that afternoon so after breakfast, he hadn't really moved much. It was as if all of his limbs weighed a ton each, so what was the point in getting up? So he hadn't.

In the back of his mind, Don knew that he most likely needed to talk to someone. Mac told him he should. His mom said he should. Emma had mentioned it. Hawkes had said if he needed to talk then he'd definitely listen. His own chief, Lindsay and Stella had all said they'd listen if he wanted to talk. That was just something that was going to be easier said than done for Don. Most of the things he was dealing with were mental and it was just something he was going to have to deal with on his own time. But he just didn't want people to know that he was _weak_ or vulnerable.

He looked over at her, surprised when he caught her looking back at him. "What?" She asked after a moment.

Don shook his head. He was honestly a little at a loss as to what to say to her suddenly. "Uh...nothing." He shook his head, looking back down at the menu quickly.

He didn't miss the slightly confused look on his girlfriend's face and sighed inwardly. Since when were they so uncomfortable and weird around each other?

"Emma?"

She looked up again. "Yeah?"

"I'm uh...well...I'm sorry."

There was the confused look again. "What in the world are you apologizing for?"

He shrugged a shoulder. He wanted to just apologize and get it over with because their waiter was coming towards them and he knew the moment would be ruined if he didn't hurry it up. "Just..everything."

She smiled before shaking her head. "That's a broad thing to be apologizing for...but okay."

"I mean, I know I've been an asshole. Especially about that job thing of yours."

Their waiter, a guy who didn't look to be over eighteen, came by their table and asked if they were ready to order. Both ordered and handed over their menus. Don wondered momentarily if it'd look weird if he asked to keep the menu just so he'd have something to do with his hands. Why the hell was he so nervous? He never got nervous. This was just ridiculous.

Emma sat back in her seat, one of her hands playing with the napkin on the table. "I will admit that you've been a bit of a jerk. But I think it's to be expected, to a point. I know none of this has been easy on you. As for the job thing, that's fine too."

"It'd be a good opportunity for you. And it'd be fun."

She smiled some, nodding. Her fingers had managed to unwrap the napkin nearly all the way. "Yeah I think so. I just don't know about the whole traveling thing.."

"Why?"

He hadn't been totally against her doing this touring thing, knowing just how much she enjoyed photography and new things. She'd talked for years about traveling some but had just never had the finances or time to do it. The selfish part of him didn't want her to go but he knew he couldn't really keep her in New York. He'd end up feeling guilty for keeping her from something she really seemed to want.

"I don't know. It'd be weird for one thing. Sleeping on a bus, full of mostly guys? And you're still recovering.."

Don shook his head, leaning over on the table some. "You know I'm going to be fine and be back at work before you know it. Don't give me as a reason."

She looked confused again. They'd gotten into it a few times over this whole thing. "But I thought you said you didn't want me to do it?"

He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "I don't. But that's the overprotective boyfriend talking.."

"What's the friend part say?"

"The friend part says you should do whatever you want to do."

She reached forward to play with the straw in her drink. Both of them were on the non-alcoholic side of things since Don was still on all sorts of medication and Emma didn't want him to feel left out or anything. "Would I still have a boyfriend to come home to if I did this?"

"I don't know. What if my girlfriend takes off with some rockstar?"

She laughed. "Don.."

"Hey I'm serious!" His tone was joking but maybe he _was_ a little serious.

"I'm serious too!"

"Em, of course you'd have me to come home to. Who else is going to kick my ass into gear?"

"No one else will put up with your shit."

"Exactly." He nodded. "Look, do what you want to do. I'll quit being an ass and support whatever you want to do."

"Thanks." She smiled again and for the first time in awhile, things didn't seem so heavy and uncomfortable between the two of them.


	73. Chapter 73

One thing that Don didn't like about this whole recovery thing was the fact that he still had to look himself in the mirror everytime he went in the bathroom or anywhere near a mirror or something else reflective. Sure, everything on his face was healed or well on its way to healing but there was one scar he knew he'd be carrying for a long while. He dreaded the moment when he'd have to strip off a shirt and stare at the ugly red scar left on his chest. It was gruesome to him, so gruesome that he wouldn't let anyone else see it. He was sure if Emma saw it, she'd run screaming from the room. His doctors had told him it'd fade over time but for the moment, he felt like he looked like something out of a horror movie.

They arrived home from dinner, both in pretty good moods still and Don ducked into the bathroom to change out of the clothes he'd put on earlier. He could hear Emma on the phone, most likely with her mom catching up on the latest Lewis family gossip. Don let out a sigh as he unbuttoned his shirt and slid it off, taking only a moment to glance at the still reddened scar on his chest. It just looked so _ugly_. It was hard for him to believe that it would fade over time. That it'd eventually get to the point where it wouldn't surprise and gross him out. Sure, that's what the doctors said but what if it didn't? What if it was like that for years and years to come? Emma wouldn't even look at him, he was sure of that.

The knock on the bathroom door startled him out of his self-deprecating moment and he turned his head, staring at the door. Shaking his head after a moment, he sighed. "yeah?"

"Are you going to be in there for long?"

Well he would if he had to keep staring at that damn scar. "Uh no. I'll be out in just a minute." He answered after another long moment.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine. I'll be out in a minute. Okay?"

He heard her sigh on the other side of the door. "All right."

Don rubbed a hand over his face, glancing at himself in the mirror. Mumbling a few choice words under his breath, he opened the bathroom door and made his way down into the bedroom to find a t-shirt to sleep in.

He didn't hear Emma's bare feet on the carpeted floors as she walked in behind him just as he was digging through a drawer full of shirts, boxers, sweats, and even a random pair of jeans. "There's a movie on A&E, want to watch it?"

He nearly jumped out of his skin, "_shit_ Emma, don't sneak up on a guy like that!" He turned to glare at her, forgetting for the moment that he was shirtless.

She laughed at the look on his face. "Well sorry! I figured you heard me coming."

"No." He straightened up, moving to cover up the scar as much as he could before he turned back to looking for a t-shirt.

"Why do you shy away like that?"

He glanced back at her. "What'd you mean?"

"You act like I don't notice. Or you really think I don't notice the way you do it. Like if I get too close to your chest or something...and why'd you look all freaked out?"

"I hate this..._thing_ on my chest. It's like a damn beacon."

"Your scar?"

He nodded as he slipped a white t-shirt over his head, pulling on its hem to straighten it out. "Yeah. I hate it. It's a beacon, just points out that I'm not...I'm not okay."

Emma shook her head as she moved closer to him. He turned away from her, facing the mirror on her dresser. Once he realized he was in front of another damn mirror, he moved to turn away from it but her hands on his back stopped him. "You're _going _to be okay Don." She pushed him a little until he was back in front of the mirror. After doing a little manuevering of her own, she rested her chin (the best she could) on his shoulder before slipping her arms all the way around him. "I think you're perfect anyway."

He gave her a wry smile in the mirror. "Yeah right."

"I do!" She kissed the side of his neck before she sighed softly. "I think a lot of women would be jealous that I got such a hot guy like you."

Don laughed at that. "As they should be."

"See? Exactly right!" She dropped down off of her tiptoes. "As for the scar or whatever, how many people see your chest? I mean unless you're wandering around the precinct and crime scenes half naked...hey is that what you do on your job? No fair!"

"Shut up Emma.." He laughed again as he turned to face her. "I was trying to be all depressed you know."

"Yeah I know. And there's no point in being like that." Emma stepped right in front of him and reached out, tugging on the end of the t-shirt he'd just put on. "I want to see it."

"What? No!" He pushed her hands away, a scowl on his face.

She looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I don't want you to see it. It'll gross you out."

"Seeing Marissa's dead body grossed me out. Getting felt up by some rapist grossed me out. Your scar is not going to gross me out."

It was his turn to raise an eyebrow. She hadn't spoken much about Marissa or her own attack in the past weeks and months. "Em.."

"Remember in ninth grade, when I was attempting to learn how to skateboard? That kid in our neighborhood was trying to teach me and I, of course, wanted to show off. Remember how I wiped out in front of your house, ripped my knee to bits? That was gross and disgusting. I've got a scar still and it's not all gross anymore. It's faded and barely even noticeable anymore." She tugged on the t-shirt again, this time managing to push it up more. "Yours will do that. It'll fade over time and soon, you won't even see it anymore."

"I'm just...I'm afraid.." He finally mumbled, so quietly she barely heard it.

"Afraid of what?"

He finally let her pull the shirt completely over his head and heard it drop to the floor. His eyes wouldn't stay on hers very long, his heart pounding as he tried to find words. It didn't help when he felt her fingertips brush over the tip of the scar though. "I didn't want to scare you.."

"Not like you're the Phantom of the Opera or anything." She said with a smile. 

"Yeah but...I don't know."

"Yes you do. Just say it."

"I'm afraid I'll always see it."

"You won't."

He gave her a look but his eyes drifted to her hand, watching as her fingers traced the length of the scar. "How'd you know I won't always see it?"

"I think it's one of those things, you think you'll always see it and it'll always bug you. But years down the road you'll wonder why you even freaked out over it so much." She shrugged a shoulder. "I don't know."

"Think you'll be around that long?"

"What, years down the road?" She smiled, leaning up on her tip toes again to press her lips against his. "Yeah sure. If I can put up with you this long, I think I can last a little while longer."

He laughed against her mouth, wrapping his arms around her waist as he pulled her up against him. "Em?"

"Don't ask me anything too difficult, you're making it hard to concentrate."

"Emma." He was trying to sound stern but it really wasn't working with a slightly giggly Emma in his arms.

She grinned as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "What?"

"I love you." He whispered against her lips again, closing his eyes just in case she decided to totally reject him. It was a stupid thought really but...the insecure kid inside of him had taken over for the moment.

He could feel her smile grow against his mouth and could tell she was looking at him. "Hey, Don?"

He opened his eyes after a moment. "Yeah?"

She leaned her forehead against his with a soft smile. "Love you too."


	74. Chapter 74

_AN: so I've been horrible about updating this week and I apologize. I blame it on a bit of writer's block. I have in my head where I'm going with the story, it's just filling in those middle parts that's frustrating. But I think I have an outline now so..we should be good to go ;) Also, I apologize for not replying to comments as I have before. I've gotten and read them all though! And I'll try to be better at that! Look for an update in the next couple of days though. So have a good rest of the weekend and stay warm if it's cold/freezing where you're at!  
_

* * *

  
It was weird to be on leave from work. Not because he found himself completely bored at home, but because he missed how busy it could be. He missed the constant movement around him in the precinct, whether he was just at his desk or running up to the crime lab or into an interrogation room. With all the time on his hands (minus the physical therapy sessions) Don found himself at a loss on what to do. Sure, tv entertained him for awhile but even that had lost its entertainment value. He bugged Emma enough at work, calling and showing up to take her to lunch or just to see what was going on. He'd even visited his parents a few times but he had a feeling he'd been annoying them after awhile. So what did he do? He finally went back to work.

Oh no, not to actually _do_ work. But to hang out. And see if he could do anything to help or at least dig up someone who could entertain him for a bit. Glancing at his watch, he tried to remember what shifts Danny had said he'd be working that week. It was nearing late afternoon, so he hoped he wouldn't be out at a scene or anything. He wasn't sure what to expect when he stepped inside but it was...well, it was weird. It'd felt like it'd been so damn long since he'd been in that building. It was still as busy and bustling as ever. But it seemed like everything stopped when he made his way inside. Were people staring at him? It sure felt like it. He caught a few guys looking at him as he noticeably walked with a limp. It was the one part that frustrated him the most, the fact that he still limped. Emma pretended not to notice when they were out together but he noticed. And apparently other people did too.

He was stopped a few times as he headed towards the elevator to go upstairs. Guys wanting to make sure he was doing okay, that they wished him a quick and speedy recovery, wanting to know when he would be back at work. When _would_ he be back at work? His doctor and physical therapist wouldn't give him any kind of specific date, which pissed him off. He needed a date. Just for it to be a goal to aim for. But no, they had to be difficult about it all. Excusing himself from a co-worker, he stepped into the elevator and pushed the button for the floor the crime lab was on.

It only took a few seconds for the elevator to make its ascent. The doors slid open a moment later and he stepped out, glancing around for any familiar faces. He didn't see anyone right off hand so he started walking, heading towards the breakroom. If any one had any sort of free time, they were usually there eating or watching tv. Poking his head inside, he smiled when he found Stella sitting with a container full of what looked to be Chinese take-out and her attention on the tv in front of her. "Well, well, well. Look what we got here..."

Stella jumped some, grinning when she saw who it was. Setting her food down on the table, she got up and walked over to him as he moved into the room. "What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be back at work yet!"

Don couldn't help but smile as she hugged him. It was nice to be back around the 'old' gang. It had felt like an eternity. Sure, he'd seen them all when he was in the hospital but it wasn't like he was getting around much while he was in there. Least now he was getting back into some sort of normal life. "No, no not work...just thought I'd come by, see how you all were coping without me."

She stepped back, motioning for her to sit as she went back to her food. "Well, I will tell you that we definitely miss having you out on cases with us. And it's too quiet."

He laughed at that. "Too quiet? What's that mean!"

"You and Danny aren't around each other to get into trouble." She gave him a teasing grin, motioning to some of the food she had. "Want some? I've got plenty."

He shook his head. "Nah I'm good. Em said she'd be cooking tonight, so...we'll see how that goes."

"Is that a good thing? I thought Emma was pretty decent at cooking."

"No, no she is. But it's been so long since either of us has had the time to cook anything more than...a can of soup."

Stella smiled at him before shaking her head. "I can't believe it.."

Giving her a quizzical look, Don raised an eyebrow. "What's that mean?"

"I never thought I'd see the day where Don Flack Jr. was so...domesticated!" She laughed before leaning towards him. "Don't get me wrong, I think it's great. And it's taken damn near a century for you two to realize you're made for each other but I just never thought I'd see the day where you..I don't know, were normal."

"I wasn't normal before?"

She laughed again. "Well no, to be honest. But what _is_ normal?"

She had a point there. "I'm not domesticated." He said with a shrug.

"Yeah right. Do you look at other women when you're out and about?"

"No?"

"Exactly."

Okay so maybe she had a point there too. Damnit. "What? Are women right about everyfuckingthing? Geez."

Stella closed up the take-out container and moved to put it in the fridge as he phone beeped indicating a message. "Of course we are. I'm glad you've learned so well!"

"Ha ha. Very funny. Gotta run?"

"Yep. Lab results are in." She started for the door, glancing back at him. "Don't be such a stranger. That goes for you and Emma. It's good to see you out and about."

He nodded with a smile. "I'll come around more often, and bring her with me."

And with a wave, Stella disappeared down the hallway.

* * *

"So you've made up your mind?" He asked.

"Yeah I think so. I mean, he said he'd be okay with it."

"Are _you_ okay with it though?" She asked.

Emma nodded her head after a long moment, looking across the table at Danny and Lindsay. They'd met up for a late lunch, knowing Don was going by the crime lab and police station to see people. "Yeah. I think I am. I mean, it'll be fun. And who knows what this'll all lead to in the end."

Lindsay smiled. "Well I, for one, think it sounds like tons of fun. Think of all the places you'll get to see."

"Exactly. That's why part of me is wanting to jump up and down and say yes."

Danny laughed. "Louie told me you'd made up your mind way before you actually told Flack about it."

"I think your brother's psychic." Emma grinned as she played with the straw in her drink. "And it's not like it's going to be for forever or anything. I'll be back in a few months. And I'm sure there'll be a couple of days off where I can sneak home. Which means we're all going to have to go out."

"You have to write." Lindsay said. "At least send a postcard from different places."

"Yeah even if it's to showcase the World's Largest Ball of Yarn or something equally as cool." Danny said with a grin. "No but seriously, you better call and write."

"Or what?"

"Or I'll send Mac out after you." He said as if that were the most obvious answer in the world. And obviously, Emma knew that he'd do it too.

But the fact of the matter was, Emma and Don's world was about to be thrown into a hectic mess. A good hectic mess but a busy one. She looked for the whole touring experience, even though she'd miss her friends and the city and her apartment. She just hoped that in the end that this would all be for the best.


	75. Chapter 75

_AN: I'm updating on the fly (aka before I head into work, oops :x)! Oh and excuse the extreme cheesiness ahead. Ahem. Anyway, I'm going to hopefully get some work on ch. 76 today so that should be uploaded soon. Have a good Friday! _

* * *

She thought that Don looked like a lost little boy, sitting on the edge of the bed watching as she finished packing her things. In went the shirts, pants, skirts, shorts...wait a minute, _skirts_?

Don reached over, pulling out a black skirt that was on top of everything else. "Why are you taking that?"

She shrugged. "Just in case."

"Just in case, what? You pick up a hot guitar player?"

Emma gave him a look before grabbing the skirt from him, tossing it onto the floor. "Fine I won't take it."

"Oh so you were planning on picking up some dude in a band? I see how it is!"

She snorted, shaking her head as she manuevered herself into his lap. "Don..you're being ridiculous."

He let out a sigh, looking between her and the suitcase that had been quickly filling. "I know, I know. I'm being selfish because I want you to go but I want you to stay too."

She slipped her arms around his neck, pressing her lips against his forehead. "It's not for that long. And I'll get to come home a few times on days off and stuff. It won't be for long. And no, I will not be picking up any rock stars along the way. You're the hottest, greatest guy ever and no one holds a candle to you."

"Oh you're good." He laughed, wrapping his arms around her waist. "You're very, very good."

Emma nodded with a smile before climbing out of his lap. "Well I do try."

He let out another sigh as she went back to packing, going from the bedroom to the bathroom and back again with more things in her hands. "It's going to be weird without you around to keep nagging me all the time."

"Hey! I don't nag."

"Yeah right, Em." He laughed before shaking his head. "I'm kidding, promise. It is going to be weird without you around though. Have we ever been apart for a long period of time?"

"Well there was that time you had that annoying girlfriend who felt threatened when she found out that you had a female that was actually a friend so we didn't hang out for a good couple of weeks. Other than that? I don't think so." She sighed, looking around the room one last time. "And I think I'm done."

"You thought all my girlfriends were annoying.."

"Because they were! If Danny were here he'd even agree with me."

He shrugged a shoulder. "I was blind until I met you."

"Now _that_ was a good line!"

"I try, I try. That was a pretty good one, I'll admit." He smiled, reaching out to tug her closer. "So how long until you've got to go?"

She glanced at her watch. "About half an hour before I should be going." She sat down next to him on the bed, starting to wring her hands together in her lap. "I'm kinda nervous about all this. I don't want to end up sucking badly."

"You're not going to suck or anything like that. _This_ is what you're meant to do. And like you said, it's a great opportunity."

"Have you been talking to Louie? I swear he said the same thing last week." She smiled, nudging his shoulder with his.

"Nope, nope. That was all me talking." He laughed. "I'm serious, it is going to be a good opportunity. And it'll be a lot of fun."

"Are you going to be okay though?"

He rolled his eyes before nodding his head. She'd been going on for days about how she was worried about how he'd get on while she was gone. For some reason the people closest to him were thinking he couldn't manage on his own. But the truth was, Don was getting better by the day. He felt good, he felt better and his doctor had finally given him permission to head back to work near the end of that next week. Of course he wasn't going to be out in the field just yet, much to Don's dismay, but least he'd be back into the swing of things a little bit. And every little bit would help. "Emma I will be fine. I think I can manage to not blow myself up while you're gone."

She gave him a look but nodded her head finally. "Fine, fine. I'll quit being overbearing."

He smiled before standing. "C'mon, we'll get your stuff and head on out."

"Are you worried about going back to work?" She grabbed her purse, watching as he picked up the heavier bag. She thought for a moment that he might struggle with it, it wasn't the lightest of bags or anything, but he lifted it with ease and headed towards the hallway.

He glanced back at her as they made their way towards the front door. "Not really. More anxious than anything else. I'm ready to go back though."

"And it'll be better than watching soap operas all day?"

Don laughed, damnit she was going to hold that over his head for the rest of their lives. It wasn't his fault she caught him while the tv was paused on one particular channel that happened to be showing a soap opera. "Yes Emma, it'll be much better than watching soap operas all day long."

* * *

It was a little surreal that she was actually leaving. No, it wasn't permanent. No, it wasn't even for that long of a time. But it still seemed surreal. They were in the middle of the airport, waiting for her flight to Chicago. Of course, Emma was anxious and very nearly bouncing right out of her shoes. She was going over the mental checklist in her head, hoping she hadn't forgotten anything. He was watching her carefully, although he was highly amused at how she was acting. How one person could fly so many times in their life and still have so much anxiety, he didn't know.

"Are you gonna make it? Should we drug you before you go on the plane?"

She gave him a look. "Shut up."

He laughed, looking up as her flight was called. He wanted her to go and have this opportunity but still..part of him wanted her to stay there with him. It was probably selfish of him to think like that but he guessed the good thing was that he didn't tell her any of that. He didn't want her to feel like she _had_ to stay in New York. Not when in the end, this could help her.

Emma rocked back on her feet, bending down to pick up her carry-on bag. "I guess I'd better go...now or never right?"

He smiled, nodding. "Yeah you don't want to miss your flight."

"I hate flying." She said as she pushed the strap of her bag onto her shoulder. "I'll uh...call you tonight once I get settled."

"You'd better or I'll send out the SWAT team."

She smiled, nodding before she stepped closer to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Are you going to miss me?"

He grinned as he leaned down, pressing his lips against hers. "I'm going to miss you a whole lot."

"You'd better!" She kissed him one last time before pulling back. "I'd better go. Talk to you later?"

He nodded, "Yeah call me tonight. Danny's supposed to come over my place but I'll have my phone. Quit being nervous."

"I'm not...not nervous." Emma didn't look totally convinced.

"Hey, Em?"

She looked back at him. "Yeah?"

"Love you."

She smiled, ducking her head as she felt her cheeks start to turn an embarrassing shade of pink. "I love you too." Waving one last time, she turned and headed down towards the terminal.


	76. Chapter 76

_AN: _ _Be glad I had some time at work this afternoon, I got to write a little more so yay for getting this up before Wednesday! Well, technically it's Wednesday but shh. Anyway, enjoy and thanks for reading and reviewing! The next chapter should be posted later this week.  
_

* * *

  
The few days that had passed since Emma's departure had seemed to go by very, very slowly. He was bored, finding things to do had proven to be more difficult than he thought it would be. Even hanging out with Danny couldn't curb the ever growing feeling of boredom. But the morning he was supposed to go back to work, it felt like maybe things were turning around.

Don had spoken to Emma a few times but her schedule was busy and sometimes cell phone reception was spotty. But she sounded like she was having fun with the 'boys'. They'd gone from Chicago to St. Louis and after that were heading south to Texas. She'd sounded nervous the first day she was gone but so far, things seemed to be going well for her. And for that, Don was ecstatic.

As for him, going back to work was going to be a little strange after all the time off he'd had. Walking into that building was like walking into a new chapter of his life. He thought he'd be nervous or feel like he didn't know what he was doing. But once he opened those doors and was heading back towards his desk, he could feel all the knowledge and everything else coming back quickly.

Of course he wanted to be back in the field. Sitting at his desk doing paperwork and watching people come and go wasn't something he wanted to be doing. But his doctor and physical therapist had said to take baby steps in the process. Process of what? He didn't know or care, he just wanted to get back to one hundred percent and be back to doing what he was doing.

* * *

On the other hand, Emma was stuck on a bus filled with more men than she cared to count. Not that it was a bad experience, it was just something slightly out of the ordinary and was still taking some time to get used to. They were somewhere on the interstate heading south, she was in the back with her laptop in front of her, fooling with a few pictures in a graphics program. It was a lot of fun so far, the guys had been nothing short of perfect gentlemen to her. The first show in Chicago had been a little bumpy, only because the guys were nervous and seemed to not know what they were doing. The second show in St. Louis had gone better and she had a feeling they'd only get more comfortable as time went on.

She was only scheduled to be with them for three weeks and honestly at that point, it felt like that would be an eternity before she was back home. Of course the good part was that she had a job to go back to so everything seemed to be working out, so far at least. It was strange being away from home and everything familiar. Of course she never thought there'd be a day where she would actually miss the city. It always seemed so loud and so busy that now, being in the middle of nowhere was strange. She'd talked with Don a few times, although they'd been playing phone tag for the past day or so. She knew he'd be going back to work and wished she was there for that. Of course he'd chastise her for treating him like some kid whose parent was taking them to school on the first day but...this was a big deal. He'd almost been blown to pieces (for lack of a better term)...it was a big deal that he was going back to work.

She missed him. And she missed Stella and Danny and Mac and Lindsay. She missed going out at night to whatever bar they were all meeting up at and listening to Hawkes go on some tangent about something she truely didn't understand (but it was damn interesting because it was coming from Hawkes!). She missed Louie showing up randomly at her work to take her to lunch, always the big brother type who was trying to make good now that he had a second change. She also missed teasing Danny mercilessly about his ever-growing crush on Lindsay Monroe. The Montana girl had wiggled her way under Danny's skin and it was definitely fun to watch what happened. Of course she missed Don and everything about him. It was hard to go to bed on her own and not have anyone there to share it with. Unfortunately, Emma had gotten used to sleeping with someone next to her. Needless to say, sleep wasn't coming too easily at the moment.

* * *

He went home halfway through the day.

Not because anything was wrong but moreso, he was bored out of his mind. Paperwork had been done. He'd caught up with anyone and everyone. He'd even been in on a few questioning sessions with another officer. But after that? He found himself bored and done with everything for that day.

Going home to an empty apartment wasn't helping his mood either. And of course it wasn't like he could go to Emma's to hang out, her apartment was empty too. He sighed as he let the door close behind him. It was too quiet when he was used to his girlfriend bustling in and out while she ran errands or whatever.

His answering machine was blinking with a message when he walked past it. Pushing the 'play' button, he turned up the volume and kept walking back towards the bedroom to change.

"Hey it's me. We're almost to Dallas and stopped for gas but I thought I'd call while I had a signal." Emma let out a sigh, "you know how weird it is to be one of two females on a bus? I've never been so glad to see something with boobs in all my life. And yes, you should laugh at that. No it's a lot of fun so far, just hectic and busy. We're at a hotel tonight so I'll e-mail you or something but call me...if you want to. I'm sure there's lots of cool things happening without me there but don't let Danny take you to a strip club."

He laughed at that, the idea _had_ been brought up by Danny.

"Anyway I'd better go. I...miss you. Ugh that was cheesy." It was her turn to let out a laugh, "okay okay I love you too so call me later tonight if you want to!"

The message ended and he smiled as he changed out of the suit he'd worn that day. Now if he could come home everyday to a message or something from her, that'd make the time go by a little easier.


	77. Chapter 77

She was quickly learning that hanging around a group of guys that were in their late teens and early twenties could make a person like her feel old. Not that Emma was anywhere near to being ancient but she sure felt like it after following them around for just the time she'd been there. Once in Dallas, they went straight to the hotel. It wasn't exactly the Ritz Carlton but it was by no means a dump. And Emma figured it was just a place to shower (without the prescence of said group of guys in their late teens and early twenties) and lay her head down for a night. She had her own room, enough space to spread out her things and hopefully get some work done. She had about an hour to waste before they headed to the venue, The Door, just east of downtown Dallas.

So now that she had an hour by herself, she wasn't quite sure what to do with that time. She'd already called and left a message for Don. He hadn't called her back but she hadn't expected him to just yet. Plus she had said she would e-mail him later. She'd already talked to her mom too before they got to the hotel. Linda and Emma had gone quite awhile without speaking, only because both had been busy with their own lives and things. Emma guessed she could call Danny or Stella or even Louie to catch up on what was going on in New York but..they'd probably be at work or sleeping or doing something else. No use in bugging them then! So she sat down in front of her computer, scrolling through disks of pictures she'd already acquired. There were a few that needed to be edited, either for lighting or blurriness. There were some that were too light or too dark, some would be kept and others would just be deleted.

A knock at her door startled her a bit. She'd been hunched over the desk staring at her computer screen when it came. Emma pushed her hair out of her face and stood, walking over to the door and opening it. Nick, the blonde 19 year old lead singer was on the other side with a grin on his face. "So we're going to get food, wanna come with?"

One thing was for sure, if Emma was a little younger...she'd definitely be a fan of this kid. He was tall, good looking, nice and had personality for _days_. He had a nice voice too and his stage prescence was amazing. At every show so far, girls fell all over themselves to try to get close to him. It was the same for the other guys too but Nick seemed to get it a little more. And while he tried to act like he had a huge ego, Emma had caught him blushing from time to time when girls got a little too overzealous.

She blinked a couple of times as her brain processed the fact that he had actually asked her something. "Oh..oh yeah. Let me grab my stuff." She turned and went back into the room to find her bag. Might as well take everything along with her so she didn't have to come back up to her room.

Nick stepped inside the doorway some, slipping his hands into his jean pockets. "So you talked to that boyfriend of yours lately?"

"Yeah. I called him earlier when we were at that gas station but he was still at work." Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she turned and walked back towards him.

"He went back to work? I thought he got injured pretty badly." Nick and the other guys in the band had all heard the story of Don and the bomb in the building. It had surprised Emma that it had been pretty easy to talk about. But she _needed _to talk to someone about it and it had felt good to open up to them about it.

"Mmhmm. He's been cleared for desk duty. Something he's not thrilled with but he's got a little while longer on the physical therapy. He mentioned something about having to pass some physical to get the all clear to go back on the streets but, he'll be fine."

Nick stepped out in the hallway, watching as Emma stepped out after him and pulled her door closed. "Is he upset you came out with us?"

The two of them started for the stairs that would lead down to the lobby. "Not really. I thought he'd be pissed off that I wanted to do it but...Don realizes this is a good opportunity." She grinned, glancing up at the younger man. "Personally I think he's jealous that I'm hanging out with such hot guys."

Nick laughed and looked pretty proud of himself. "I can see why. I told you I'd totally wait for you to get rid of the cop. I mean, a _cop_? You can't do anything illegal! He'd be obligated to turn you in and stuff. That's not fair at all."

"Yes but...I guess I have a thing for guys in uniform." She winked at him, laughing as she started down the stairs.

Nick laughed as he followed her. "Mmhm. I see how it is. He never did come to one of our New York shows, did he?"

"No. But..we're going to Atlanta, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah I can't remember when though. I think it's one of the last shows. Why?"

She shrugged as they reached the first floor, stopping to wait for him to catch up to her. "Well my mom lives in Georgia so I think she was going to come out or at least meet up with me somewhere along the way. I might see if Don can come down for that. That way my mom can quit bugging me to get him to come see her."

"That'd be cool. He should come! Then he can realize that you should be with a hot, young dude."

"Nick, he's not old!"

He just laughed, slinging an arm around her shoulders. "I know, I know. I'm just teasing. And I can't do it in front of him, he'd probably have me arrested."

"Exactly." She grinned as they joined the group, soon leaving afterwards to go eat dinner.


	78. Chapter 78

Emma had disappeared out of the back room of the club to run back to the bus for something she'd left behind. Nick was hanging out, checking messages on his phone when he heard another one ringing. Glancing around, no one else seemed to be paying attention to him or the offending ringing phone. Which meant the phone didn't belong to anyone around. He closed his phone and moved to grab the ringing phone, recognizing it belonged to Emma. It stopped ringing right as he looked at the screen, the name and number disappearing as the backlight turned off. He sighed and was about to put it back down when it started ringing again. Nick stood and poked his head out of the room to see if he could see her coming back. Really, how long did it take for her to run to the bus to get one thing?

Glancing down at the screen, it flashed with a name and number. Don. He frowned and wondered if he should answer it or not. Of course it'd be weird, he'd be answering some other dude's girlfriend's phone! And Nick knew he wouldn't like it if some random guy answered his girl's phone, that'd be odd. It'd be the stuff soap operas were made of! But what if something was wrong? Maybe he really needed her. Maybe he'd be worried if she didn't answer right away. With a loud sigh and a couple of choice curse words, he answered the phone. "Uh..Emma Lewis' phone?" He groaned inwardly at how completely lame he sounded.

"Who's this?"

The voice on the other end was definitely New York. Thick accent, accusatory tone. Yeah he was definitely some kind of cop. Nick sighed, deciding that answering her phone was really not a good idea. "Uh...uh my name's Nick. I'm in the band that Emma's working for. She ran out to the bus for something and then her phone rang and...yeah." And great, now he was rambling like an idiot.

There was silence on the other end of the phone. Then he heard a short sigh. "All right. Can you get her to call me when she gets a minute?"

"Yeah of course." An idea popped into his head suddenly and he grinned as he took his seat on the couch again. "Hey you thought about coming to visit her while she's on tour?"

"Well..I'd thought about it, yes. Why?"

Well, he was not going to make this easy. But Nick could tell he was weirded out by some _kid_ answering his girlfriend's phone. Totally understandable. "You should come to the Atlanta show."

Don laughed on the other end of the phone. "Oh yeah? Why should I do that?"

"Well I know for one thing she misses the fuck outta you.." He frowned suddenly, "you can't arrest me for like, cussing can you?"

"Nah I do it too much myself. So she misses me, huh?"

Nick laughed, looking around to make sure there were no prying eyes or ears. "Yeah man. She won't really admit it to me, mind you but I can tell."

"She mentioned Atlanta before she left. I'll have to see about work."

"Plus you can see my awesome band."

"Ohh yeah she's told me I need to come see you guys. And not wear one of my suits."

"No way you'd stick out like a sore thumb. I told her that and she got some weird dreamy look on her face when I mentioned jeans and a t-shirt.."

He snorted on the other end and started laughing. "Did she now? You know...I'm going to have to use this as blackmail against her."

Nick grinned, glancing at the doorway again. He knew he was on borrowed time. "Hey anything I can do to help. You've got a seriously hot girlfriend, man. I say that as a platonic friend and all that.."

"Yeah yeah suure. Look I'll see about Atlanta. I've got to get going, but yeah..have her call me?"

"Sure. She'll probably come back inside right after we hang up but I'll tell her."

"Thanks, Nick was it?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, thanks Nick."

He hung up the phone and tossed it back onto the couch. Nick was sure that was the weirdest conversation he'd ever had but then again he didn't exactly go around answering other people's girlfriend's phones all the time. He picked up his phone again as another text message from a hometown friend came through.

Sure enough, Emma came rushing back in a moment later. "I swear to..whatever is above. Next time I go out remind me to take my pass with me because security stopped me and was sure I was a fan trying to get backstage. I had no idea I looked like a fourteen year old fangirl.."

Nick looked up at her and laughed. "Well you don't look fourteen to me but maybe to security you do? And we don't have _that_ many fans that are that young, thank you."

She gave him a look right back before she took a seat on the other side of him, digging through her bag for her camera. There was only about a half hour before they were due to go on stage but she wanted to make sure she had everything she needed. Going out to the bus had taken longer than it should've, all because she'd forgotten the stupid laminate that classified her as special enough to be backstage. "It's just a hassle when I forget that thing. I'm going to staple it to my forehead," She mumbled.

"That would be really hot, you know." He dropped his phone into his own bag, "Oh yeah Don called while you were out."

"He did? You talked to him?"

Nick nodded as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "Yeah it kept ringing, I didn't know if something was wrong...which there wasn't so don't get that worried look on your face. But yeah he said to call him when you got a minute."

"You talked to Don.." She laughed as she reached for her phone. "Did he sound totally freaked out?"

"A little at first." Nick shrugged, deciding not to mention Atlanta for the time being. Their conversation was cut short when another one of the guys wandered in to grab Nick so they could get ready. He shot a smile in her direction, "See ya out there Em" and then he disappeared.

* * *

It was late when they all got back to the hotel. And it was even later when Emma got a shower and was able to relax enough to call Don. She was afraid that she'd wake him but the need to actually hear her boyfriend's voice was overriding anything else.

Sure enough, Don answered the phone with a sleep induced voice, "this better be my girlfriend for real this time."

She laughed softly. "What, other women calling you now?"

"Yeah you know it." He let out a yawn as it sounded like he shifted in bed. "What's going on gorgeous?"

Emma smiled as she snuggled down under the covers of the hotel bed. It wasn't the most comfortable bed in the world but hearing Don's voice would definitely help her sleep. "Nothin'. Just got in a little bit ago and took a shower. I'm sorry I woke you...I just wanted to hear you. And yes that was very cheesy."

He laughed on the other end of the phone. "Mmhmm. Don't worry about waking me up. I'm glad you called."

"It's so weird not being at home. I got too used to living in the city."

"It's a little weird without you here, you know. I think you spoiled me by doing my laundry.."

"Oh great you're going to work all gross and smelly? That's a way to get them to let you back on the streets Don."

He laughed again, "Well it would get them to get me out from behind a desk."

"Hmm..you're right. So how's it going?"

"Really?"

Rolling her eyes, Emma covered a yawn with her free hand. "No tell me a lie. Of course, really I want to know."

"It's boring but..I'm glad I'm back. So how are you? Having fun?"

"Yeah it's fun. The guys are hilarious to hang out with although I do miss being around females. It's a little weird being one of very few females on this tour." She sighed softly, "and I don't know...I miss home like I said."

"You needed this though, Em. It is a great opportunity. And I think you'd regret it if you hadn't gone."

"I know, I know. You're right. It's just getting used to everything. To new things."

"Yeah. You'll be fine."

"You just know everything, huh?"

She could practically hear the grin in his voice when he said, "of course."

"Smartass."

"Yeah yeah I know." He sighed and it sounded like he shifted in the bed, "Em I hate to do this but I gotta get to sleep...it's late."

She really didn't want to let him off the phone. He was her only contact to her New York life and she didn't want to quite let it go yet. "I know. I woke you up..I guess I just wanted to have an actual conversation. I was getting tired of playing phone tag."

"I'm glad you called baby." Don yawned again, "Call me later at like a normal time and I think I'll be able to hold an actual conversation."

She laughed and sat up in the bed, moving out from under the covers long enough to turn off all the lights. "I will. We'll be here another day I think so..I'll call. Get some sleep?"

"Mmhm I plan on it as soon as you stop talking up a storm."

"Smartass."

"You love it." Even Don's laugh sounded sleepy and she could tell he was well on his way back into dream land as she crawled under the covers of her hotel bed.

"I do..and you know, I love you too."

"Better."

"Get some sleep and I'll call you later," She said as she laid back on the bed.

"You too, huh? And I love you too."

Emma smiled as they finally hung up, that was certainly a nice end to a conversation.

* * *

_AN: sparkyCSI, thanks for the PM with all the club names! It will definitely come in handy. _

_And also sorry for the lack of updates this week! There has been another plot bunny that took over in my head so..I had to get that OUT before I could get this chapter out. I blame Supernatural through and through. Just putting that out there ;) Anyway! I'm hopefully going to get some writing done this afternoon so a new chapter should be up in the next day or so!  
_


	79. Chapter 79

"Hey it's me...thought I'd call and see how things were going. Work's been fine. Physical therapy's been fine too although I swear I think my therapist is tryin' to kill me. A man's body is _not_ meant to do certain things in certain ways. But Danny and I, we're going to a game tonight so if you call and I don't answer that's why. It'll probably be late but I'll call you back. I...miss you. Okay yeah don't hold the cheesiness over my head next time we fight. I'll talk to you later."

Two Hours Later

"Hey I just got your message, sorry. I was shooting the guys at their soundcheck and then we went to eat. If I see another McDonald's again it'll be too soon. But you know I'll be eating there tomorrow night so I'll just shut up. Are you coming to Atlanta, by the way? That's in a week and a half, I know you can find a plane ticket for fairly cheap. My mom's coming to that show and I know she'd love to see you. Just let me know soon and I'll get you a pass. Anyway, have fun at the game. Let me know the score because I can't get to a tv at the moment or check the score from my laptop so you'll have to tell me. And tell Danny I said hi. Love you, bye."

Four Hours Later

"So I was thinking. We've never been to a baseball game in all the time we've known each other. Isn't that some kind of tragedy? Yanks won, of course! Pretty boring game though. We had a few beers between us so all in all, a good night. Hope yours is going well too, don't get knocked over by some little punk trying to get to that lead singer or something. I can see some kid come flying over the barricade at you. Then I'd have to go all cop on someone's ass. I gotta go sleep off these beers but Messer said hi and said to keep out of trouble. I'll let you know about Atlanta later. Sleep well, talk to you later. Oh and Em? Love you too."

* * *

To say that she was on cloud nine every time she heard those three little words was an understatement. When she heard those words come out of his mouth, sounding all deep and soft at the same time, complete with the accent...yeah, Emma was a goner. She turned into a giggly high schooler all over again. She just hated that they were playing phone tag constantly anymore. Between the band's busy schedule and her having to follow them around all the time and Don being at work, they usually squeezed in a quick phone call late at night that lasted until one of them fell asleep on the other. He'd been avoiding the Atlanta topic the past few times they'd talked so Emma wasn't sure if he just didn't want to come see her or if he _couldn't _come see her.

Sighing softly, Emma laid back in her bunk as she tucked her phone away beside her. She was turning into one big pile of goo when it came to her boyfriend. Was that pathetic? Probably not but the urge to run around screaming and giggling over the fact that Don was _her_ boyfriend and loved _her _was almost overwhelming. Needless to say, Emma really wanted him to come to Atlanta. Three weeks without seeing him? That was some kind of cruel and unusual punishment.

She closed her eyes as exhaustion finally set in as the bus rolled on to their next stop in Texas. Someone was still awake in the front lounge, she could hear the tv playing some movie that was familiar but she couldn't think of the title. They'd probably watched it twenty times already too. Other than that though everyone seemed to be asleep and for once, the bus was mostly quiet. Emma drifted off to sleep, missing the phone call as it came through, lighting up the bunk with it's tiny light.

The call eventually went to voicemail: "Hey thought I'd call again. Atlanta's a no-go, I'm afriad. I've got to get back in the gym and pass a physical, so I can't really take the time off. But let me know when you're coming home and I'll be sure to be the one to pick you up. I know it sucks and I can see that look on your face when you find out so don't give me _that _look. Anyway, just wanted to let you know. Call me later."

After the call had ended, the light went off on the phone, the phone's owner unaware.

In the front of the bus, the lone awake figure sat on the couch with the tv on about the lowest volume possible as not to disturb anyone else. He could see the blink of the light from someone's cell phone and knew it had to be Emma's. Oh his plan had been put into action. A good plan, granted but he knew the resident band photographer would be in a different mood for awhile. He looked down as his phone vibrated in his hand, startling him for a moment. Glancing down as the text message popped up on his phone, he smiled some: "it's done. I'll be there at 2 p.m."

* * *

_AN: short chapter! but psh, Don's got some stuff up his sleeve ;) have a good saturday!_


	80. Chapter 80

While he missed his girlfriend, _really_ missed his girlfriend, even Don had to admit that it was nice to get out of the apartment and spend an evening or two with the guys. It was much better than being cooped up, thinking of every single bad scenario that could befall his girlfriend while out on the road or even sitting around feeling sorry for himself. But when he was out with Hawkes, Mac and/or Danny then he could really relax or not have to worry about anything. This night found the four of them at a bar they frequented enough times to where the bartenders recognized them and knew what kind of beer they all drank. There was nothing quite like having a night out with the guys, gossiping about everything (even though they wouldn't _dare _call it gossiping!) and drinking beer.

Danny raised an eyebrow as they halfway watched a group of guys playing pool behind them. Glancing at Don, he raised his beer bottle to his mouth to finish it off. "So you heard from Emma today?"

"Not today but in her last message she said they'd be busy most of the day and then they had a show tonight. So I'll probably get another voicemail about two a.m." Don shrugged as he nursed his own beer. Hawkes had warned him not to drink too much since he was still on some medication.

"When's she come home anyway?" Hawkes asked as he looked over their shoulders at the tv in the background that was showing the latest sports scores.

"A little under two weeks and it'll be nice not to have to play phone tag all the time." He smiled some, turning his head to glance back at the tv.

Danny laughed, "yeah and then we don't have to hear you whine about how you two play phone tag."

Mac gave them all a look, obviously playing the 'father' role that evening. "You wouldn't understand Danny."

"Yeah Dan, you don't understand." Don gave him a grin, "you don't have a girlfriend right?"

He raised an eyebrow as if in challenge but didn't say anything as he finished off the rest of his beer before setting the bottle down on the table with a _'thud'_. "I do understand. Just because you think that I'm some jerk that can't settle down or whatever doesn't mean it's true. Flack, you act like you two are married. Which is about true since you've known her since what, third grade?"

"Junior high, genius."

"Whatever."

Hawkes looked amused at the two of them as he motioned for the bartender to bring them another round of beers. He shared the same amused look with Mac as the other two continued with their innane argument. "Anyone up for a game?" Mac asked as he stood from their table. Danny and Don both looked up at the interruption.

Hawkes laughed, "yeah quit arguing or...well, trying to argue. Let's play."

"What if I'm not any good at pool?" Don asked as he stood up to follow Mac.

Mac gave him a smile, "Then I guess you'll be out some money tonight."

* * *

Flack and Danny made their way down to the subway after the night had ended with Flack losing most of the cash he'd had on him and Danny finally admitting that him and Lindsay had gone out on a few dates. None of them had been surprised, not even Mac who'd just smiled and shaked his head before telling him it better not interfere with any of their work. Work relationships weren't exactly looked upon greatly but weren't looked upon disapprovingly either. Mac and Hawkes had headed home before the other two but at least they each had more money in their pockets!

Flack sighed as they walked, checking his cell phone for what had to be the millionth time. Danny caught him and shook his head with a laugh. "You're so whipped!"

"I am not. I'm just...worried." He shrugged as they reached the platform. There were people waiting for the next train but not as many as there usually were when it was actually daylight out. They still had a few minutes to wait though before the train was scheduled to arrive.

"Why're you worried?"

"Hell if I know. I guess because if something does happen, I'm all the way up here." Don shook his head, rocking back on his heels before he slid his phone into his jacket pocket.

Danny sighed as he stared straight ahead, watching his friend from the corner of his eye. "Why do you think something's going to happen? She couldn't stay in New York forever.."

"I know, I know. It's so stupid.." He shrugged. "I guess I am worried. I'm not sure why exactly. Plus it's weird, I got used to having her around and then suddenly she's off doing this cool job."

He smiled, "Yeah it sounds fun. But really, I doubt you have anything to worry about. Nothing's gonna happen to her, she's out there doing a job and she'll be back before you know it."

Don grinned some as he turned towards his friend. "So we should talk more about this you and Monroe thing.."

Danny rolled his eyes, trying to put the best scowl on his face that he could. "No. We shouldn't."

"Oh why not?"

"Because...it's a private thing. We don't want it all out in the open. It's bad enough you, Mac and Hawkes all know now. She's gonna kill me. Plus, ain't like we're dating."

Don snorted at that. Yeah right, they weren't dating. "So what are you all doing then?"

"Just going out on a few dates. No big deal."

The train pulled up to the platform then, drowning out any smartass comeback that Don was about to say. He let the subject drop for the moment though, knowing that Danny would shut down and just get pissed off if he pushed too much.

* * *

_AN: oh man, 80 chapters...too cool! I have to say when I was semi-planning this story (because I'm horrible at planning and it never really works when I do) that I never thought it'd be this long. I think I'd semi-planned about 40 at the most but it's really taken on a mind of its own. I have a couple of ways I'd like to end the story though which are floating around in my head. I've got a busy-ish week ahead of me so I'm not making any promises on when the next chapter will be up. School and work should really pay attention to my writing, I mean really! Anyway, have a good Monday:)_


	81. Chapter 81

_AN: another short chapter headdesk But hey the boys go out to dinner! That's good, right? I'll get better at story length I swear, this just kind of popped into my head earlier and well..this is what happens! The next update should be this weekend though so keep an eye out :)_

* * *

He looked across the table at his friend as his phone rang for what had to be easily the third time since they'd been sitting in the restaurant for an early dinner. Danny raised an eyebrow as Flack just looked at the phone with a smirk and set it aside. At his friend's questioning look, Flack shrugged a shoulder. "I'm playing a game."

"What, the annoy the hell out of your friend sitting across from you game?"

He laughed but shook his head. "As fun as that is, no. The irritate the hell out of Emma game."

"And why are you irritating your girlfriend? You do know she could make the rest of our lives a living hell-" Danny was cut off as his phone beeped with a message. He shot a look to Flack who just laughed and looked down at his own phone where a text message had popped up. He snorted and looked over at Flack, "Seriously man."

"What?" He laughed again as he reached across the table. "Let me see!"

Danny held his phone tight in his hand, moving out of the way of Flack's hand. "Quit! It's not even from her asshole."

"Are you lying?"

"No!" He snorted and then flashed the phone in the direction of his friend, "it's from Lindsay."

Flack grinned some and leaned his elbows on the table. They'd gotten off work around the same time and decided to grab some dinner, which was good for Flack since he didn't want to go home and heat up leftover take out. "So what's it say?"

"None of your business." Danny answered as he turned the phone back to him, typing out a quick message in response and sending it before shoving the phone into his jacket pocket. "So why are you ignoring Emma's calls?"

Flack sat back in his chair, raising his beer to his mouth to take a drink. It was a long moment before he answered and he really only did it because he knew it was irritating Danny. "I'm not ignoring her, persay. Just making it difficult to reach me, I guess. Only because she's pissed that I'm supposedly not going to Atlanta to see her."

"Why's she pissed? And wait a minute...I thought you _were_ going?"

"I am going. I just haven't told her that I am."

"You know that's going to make her mad.."

"Hey I thought it'd be a good surprise! And her mom knows."

Danny laughed at that. "So you're in cohorts with her mom? Man, that's just wrong. She's either going to be really happy to see you or be really mad for whatever reason. Why's she pissed that you told her you're not going to Atlanta though? You said you had that physical.."

"Well she hasn't come right out and said she's mad but Nick, that kid in that band she's working for, said she's been moping around the past few days." Flack laughed, "I've got a damn spy looking after my girlfriend..I can't believe it."

Danny laughed too, shaking his head. "Well good luck with that man."

"Yeah I've still got to get my plane ticket and get her mom to pick me up from the airport. And get around without her seeing me. It's going to be a lot of fun.." He shrugged, putting his beer back down on the table. "So, what're you and Lindsay up to?"

"Nothin' really." Danny shrugged his own shoulder before cracking a smile. "Nothing that I'll tell you at least."

"Well I don't want to know your sex life, Messer. Jesus Christ." Flack made a face before he reached for his beer again. "So how's that all going?"

"How's all what going?"

"Danny...you're really annoying sometimes."

"Much how your girlfriend feels."

"Shut up."

"Hey I'm just saying." Danny gave him a grin, "no but Lindsay was texting...said something about going out this weekend. We've both got a day off so I was trying to think of something to do. I don't know what though."

"I can't believe you're seriously dating someone...a co-worker none the less! Bad Messer, bad."

"Why can't you believe I'm _seriously_ dating someone? And I'll ignore the co-worker part, thank you."

Both guys sat back in their chairs to make room on the table as their waitress brought their meals. Flack looked across the table at his friend, "And I know you all too well. You _know_ that."

So that was true. Danny and Flack had each seen the other go through numerous relationships and psuedo-relationships. Danny laughed, "Alright you got me there. But she's..different."

"Well she doesn't take your crap, that's for sure."

"Ha. Ha. I'm telling Emma you're ignoring her."

Flack held his fork, pointing it in his direction. "You do and I'll kill you. And I know how to hide the body."


	82. Chapter 82

She covered a yawn, blinking in surprise when a flash went off right in her face. Emma shot the perpetrator a glare and reached across the table for her camera. "Not funny Brad."

The boy named Brad (because they were all _boys _to Emma), the drummer with shaggy brown hair and who was the quietest of the bunch just grinned. "I was just having fun, c'mon it'd be cute to send to your boyfriend."

"He's seen me yawn plenty of times."

"He seen you naked plenty of times too?" The offending question came from the guitarist, Sam, who was another blonde but was the loud and outgoing one in the band. He dropped down into the seat next to Emma with a smirk.

She just rolled her eyes before jabbing an elbow into his ribs. He was the crudest one of the bunch, although he wasn't malicious or anything. He just liked dirty jokes. And he liked girls, which was evidenced by the fact that he got the most groupies Emma had ever seen. They flocked to Sam like bees to honey and he reveled in the attention whenever he got the chance.

They'd left Texas the day before and were now headed east towards Georgia with stops in Mississippi and Alabama in the coming days. Emma had been in a foul mood for a couple of days as it was, mostly because Flack had been either purposely ignoring her calls or he kept forgetting his phone somewhere. It was nearly driving her up the wall...which felt wrong all at the same time. She shouldn't feel like some over jealous girlfriend just because she went a few days without talkng to him. But it was definitely annoying. But most of all, she guessed she was just tired and ready to go home. Not to say that the experience hadn't been worth it, because it had but..still. She'd even gone as far as to call Stella and Danny but neither were giving out any details about Don's whereabouts, just that he was busy. That she could believe though, Danny had said they'd all been working longer hours than usual.

She held up the camera just as Sam covered a yawn of his own and grinned as she caught it at just the right moment. That'd teach him to mess with her. She had a feeling none of those little fangirls would be all over him if they saw what an ugly yawn-face he made. She was going to have to remember to save that one for future blackmail opportunities. The three of them were shoved into a booth at a small diner just off the highway as they ate breakfast. Everyone else was at a few other tables and booths, there were just too many of them to fit at one table. She'd somehow ended up the only girl at her table, but they were talkative enough that no one noticed she wasn't really joining in unless a question was thrown at her directly.

After breakfast it was back on the bus for them all, which meant that she still had to endure more hours on the road. At least she had her bunk...and her laptop to keep her occupied.

* * *

He pinched the bridge of his nose as a headache formed. It wasn't that he was getting sick or anything, it was that the people he had to talk to so far were complete idiots. If some guy called him "dude" one more time, he was going to throw something (or someone) out a window. He let out a sigh, catching Stella's eye across the room. She smiled at him and Don just rolled his eyes before motioning to the kid standing next to him. Stella covered a laugh and shook her head at him. Don looked down at the notebook he was holding, trying not to bust out laughing in the middle of a crime scene. Somehow he doubted _that _would help anything.

He'd been back on minimal street duty, although he _wanted _to be back full time. But his boss and his doctors were still leary about letting him come back full time. So he still spent time at his desk but at least he was able to do more than paperwork. And once he passed his physical and got the big 'okay' from his main doctor, he'd be back full force.

Shoving his notebook into the pocket of his jacket, he headed out into the bright New York sunshine. It'd been a long day already and was going to be an even longer night but he was just glad to be out and to be busy. His phone rang from inside his jacket and he let out a sigh, he was starving and wanted to grab something quick on his way back downtown. He glanced at the number and smiled, so he _would_ get to eat after all. He answered it as he walked to his car, "well well well if it isn't my traveling girlfriend.."

"Well if it isn't my boyfriend who doesn't like to answer his phone."

Oh Emma sounded far from happy. In fact, she sounded downright pissed off. He grinned to himself as he slid in behind the driver's side of the car. "I'm sorry Em, I've been busy."

"You can't return a call? Or five million?" She asked, sounding even more agitated.

"Emma. It's been a little hectic up here, and I've been doing more work out in the field. So don't sound like that. What's wrong?"

She let out a sigh and grumbled something unintelligible. "Sorry. I know, I know. You're busy and that's fine..I'm just being a big baby."

"You're not acting like a big baby. What's going on?"

"I don't know, I think I'm horribly homesick. How can you say I'm not acting like a big baby? I'm homesick for goodness sakes and I'm a damn adult."

Don laughed, "Emma it's normal to be a little homesick."

"I know." She whined softly, "I want to see you.."

"And I want to see you too but I told you, I've got that physical I've gotta pass. And things are just too crazy or I'd be in Atlanta in a heartbeat. But you're gonna see your mom, so that's good. Right?"

"Yeah right. I don't make out with my _mother_, Flack."

"Well...no I'd hope not," He said with another laugh. "So you want to make out with me, huh?"

She finally laughed softly after a moment. "Maybe. I'm not admitting to anything though."

"Mmhm. I know the truth. Look, I've gotta grab something to eat before my stomach eats itself. Can I call you back?"

"Yeah. We're getting back on the bus now so I don't know if I'll have good cell reception or not but yeah, try my cell. Just leave a message if I don't answer." She sighed softly, "Hey Don?"

"Yeah sweetheart?" When he'd taken to calling her names like 'sweetheart', he didn't know. But it was definitely one of those private little relationship things between the two of them.

"I miss you...a whole lot." She said it so quietly he wasn't sure he heard her at first.

He smiled though because he missed her too. It was weird not having her show up randomly for lunch or just to say 'hi' and it was definitely taking him a long time to get used to sleeping by himself. "I'm going to use this against you when we're having our next argument, you know."

Emma laughed, "I'd hit you if you were in front of me right now. I'm trying to be all sweet and then you say that!"

"Hey I'm just telling you, I'm going to remember this for the next time you're pissed off at me." And Don had a feeling that he knew when she'd be pissed off at him next. "But, I miss you too."

"Good to know. Call me later?"

"I will. Bye Em."


	83. Chapter 83

_AN: Annnd I'm back. Ahem, did you know that writer's block sucks? So here we go, bringing in the DL love again because..well I think they're adorably cute. Anyway, I think I might be getting over the whole writer's block thing finally. So the next chapter should be posted soon!  
_

* * *

Lindsay had learned one thing quickly and that was that men had no idea what they were doing half the time. "Make that _all_ of the time," She mumbled to herself as she watched Flack running around his apartment. Danny was helping him run around the apartment as Flack packed up his things for his upcoming trip to Atlanta.

It seemed as if everyone was in on the Atlanta plan, well...everyone but Emma but that was besides the point. Flack had called Danny the night before he was leaving, completely freaking out and complaining that he didn't what to take. To be honest she'd never seen Flack freak out over anything which is why she tagged along after he'd called Danny. Especially considering his call had interrupted their evening of watching movies and pigging out on chinese take out. But watching Flack freak out over the fact that he was going to surprise his girlfriend was too good to pass up and it was proving better than Lindsay could've hoped.

She had to cover a laugh as Flack and Danny nearly collided with each other in the hallway. It was then that she decided to step in, grabbing Danny's arm. "Okay okay, you two are acting like a couple of girls here." Danny just looked at her strangely but didn't mind her grabbing him since she was, you know, _touching_ him.

Flack looked slightly offended at being called a woman but just raised an eyebrow. "I gotta pack, Monroe."

"Yeah and I'm tryin' to help," Danny said. As if that explained everything in the world.

She nodded and pushed both of them down the hallway in the direction of Flack's bedroom. Both kept trying to protest as the shorter of the three kept pushing them but eventually, the two guys just shut up. Flack had a suitcase laid out on the bed and clothes were spilling out of it. "What, is there something in the male handbook of life that says you have to pack like a tornado has gone through your bag?" Lindsay shook her head and pushed the two of them out of the way before going to work on the things in his bag, folding and putting them inside neatly.

Flack and Danny just shared a look. Danny shrugged a shoulder, "I have no idea but I think we better just let her do her thing."

Flack let out a sigh before rubbing at his face. "Why the fuck am I so nervous?"

"Good question," Lindsay said from her spot on the bed.

"Hey, no one invited you Monroe."

She laughed but shook her head. "Yeah but then who would you have to fold your shirts? Danny can't fold a shirt to save his life." Blinking, she felt her face heating up in a blush. "I mean...not that I would know or anything."

Flack smirked at her and nudged Danny in the ribs with his elbow, "I knew it!"

"Shut up, you dumbass." Danny rolled his eyes, "you act like you're in high school or something."

Lindsay just sighed as she watched the two grown men argue over who was a bigger dumbass. She was convinced they both had the mentality of high schoolers and it was a wonder either of them had made it through the academy. She straightened up Flack's things before shutting the suitcase and setting it down on the floor with a _thud_.

That got the men's attention though. Flack looked surprised, before he'd called Danny he felt like it was going to take him all night to pack. "You're done?"

She nodded as she stood from the bed. "Yeah. It's not that hard to pack for a trip that lasts a couple of days. You act like it's some huge deal. And why are you so nervous?"

He shrugged after a moment, reaching up to rub the back of his neck with one of his hands. "I have no idea. It's so stupid and I know it is."

"It is stupid." Danny agreed. "It's not like you two have been apart for three years or something. She'll be surprised but I think she'll be happy to see you."

Lindsay nodded, "She'll be so happy to see you Don. You need to quit worrying so much. I haven't seen you like this, ever!"

"I know, I know." He said it with a sigh. But he finally smiled after a moment, "thanks for the help. But..let's not tell anyone about this. I don't wanna ruin my reputation or anything."

She just rolled her eyes before brushing past Danny, "I'll be waiting by the door. You still owe me dinner Messer. And good luck Don, seriously."

He nodded, "thanks. I'm sure I'll need it after pissing her off for not telling her before I just randomly show up."

Danny looked up at his friend once Lindsay had disappeared and smiled, "yeah good luck man. Call when you get back. Or you know, call when she slaps the hell out of you because I know she hates surprises."

Flack laughed and pushed Danny towards the door. "I'll call you. Go feed your girlfriend. And don't go getting into any trouble while I'm gone. I'm not bailing your ass out."

He snorted but waved Flack off, "Whatever. Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

Flack was going to give a smart assed retort but stopped when he heard an "OW!" followed by Lindsay saying, "quit being a pervert Danny."

Lindsay tugged Danny out of the apartment and the two started for the elevator. She pulled her jacket around her and smiled when she felt one of Danny's arms slide around her shoulders. So their night had been slightly interrupted with the freak out of Flack but she had to admit, it was nice to just be able to act like a 'normal' couple. They weren't exactly hiding it at work but it wasn't like they were all over each other either. Both knew that work place relationships weren't exactly kosher with their supervisors but both also knew that if they wanted it to work and work well that they would have to be able to function in their jobs.

The elevator doors opened and the two of them stepped inside. Danny sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "So what should we get to eat?"

"Hmm..I am in the mood for chinese." She leaned back against the wall next to him, looking up at him.

He nodded, "sounds good. So think Em will be pissed?"

She grinned and shrugged a shoulder. The truth was it could go either way. Emma could be completely thrilled and elated to see her boyfriend or be mad that her boyfriend had kept a secret while she was lonely on the road. "I don't know. I think she'll be happy to see him, really."

"Those two, I swear." He smiled and watched as the elevator counted down the floors. "I think she'll hit him once and then be happy to see him."

Lindsay laughed, pulling him out of the elevator once the doors opened to the first floor. "Come on, I'm starving."


	84. Chapter 84

_AN: First, apologies that this has taken me just about forever to get up. Last week was a bit crazier than I had anticipated with school. I did get some writing in though! This was originally going to be more than one chapter but I condensed it, which is why it's a little longer than normal. But hey I had to make up for being slow in posting somehow! ;) Anyway, get ready for much sap in this chapter. You've been warned. And it might even be worse in the next chapter, oops lol. Enjoy!  
_

* * *

It was strange to be flying to Atlanta on his own. Sure, he wasn't the one in the relationship that freaked out when stepping foot in an airport, but it was kind of weird for him. And he felt a bit like some sort of super spy. Everyone was in on the plan. Well, everyone except for Emma but what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her. Emma's mom, Linda, was going to be picking him up from the airport and from there they'd head downtown to where the band was playing that night. Nick was supposed to meet him out front and hide him out until he could surprise Emma. Don thought if all of this worked then he _should_ maybe consider being some sort of super spy. There were just a lot of little things that could go wrong or that could totally work out. It just depended on which way the wind was blowing, he supposed.

The flight to Atlanta was luckily on time and after getting off the plane, he was able to find his baggage fairly quickly. He had to give Lindsay some credit, she could pack a whole lot of crap into one bag. He had an inkling if he'd been the one to continue packing his things, he would've ended up bringing his whole closet just out of pure anxiousness. He knew when he got back to New York that Lindsay would want something in return, he'd just have to think up something good. After all, she'd packed all of his stuff for him and had managed to reel in Danny Messer. That was something in itself!

It took a few minutes for him to find Linda in the crowded airport. But luckily Linda was keeping an eye out for him and spotted him just as he came down off the escalator from baggage claim. She made her way over to him, unable to keep the smile off her face. She'd already talked to her daughter that morning and had kept with the plan. Linda told Emma that she was busy at work and wouldn't see her until later, pretty much bumming out Emma who had been looking forward to seeing a little piece of 'home'. He hugged her once he was close enough, "so did she fall for it?"

"Oh of course. She sounded pretty down and out when I told her I had to work later than I'd planned." Linda motioned for him to follow her out of the airport and out to where she'd parked the car. "That kid, Nick, called after though and said he'd be waiting to hear from you when you landed."

He nodded, "I'll call when we get closer. I can't believe how smoothly this has all gone."

Linda laughed but nodded her head in agreement. She had to admit that this was all very sneaky but she'd been all for it the second she heard it. She knew Emma was homesick and missing Don, what better way to surprise her than with her own boyfriend? "She'll be thrilled to see you."

"You think?"

That question surprised her because in all the years she'd known Don Flack Jr., he'd never been the type to be nervous or anxious about anything. Or if he was, he'd always hidden it very well beneath his tough exterior. She supposed that came with being a born and bred New Yorker in a way. She stopped and turned to look at him, "I know she'll be so happy to see you. Probably a little shocked, but that's why we've got cameras. To capture the moment on film to embarrass the hell out of her later with."

Don grinned and the two of them started walking again towards the parking lot. "I can't wait to see the look on her face."

* * *

Emma was busy flipping through almost two dozen pictures that she'd developed over the past week or so. Most were in black and white; an experiment she'd wanted to try one night. She was trying to do everything to keep her mind off of being in Atlanta. Trying to do everything to keep her mind off the fact that she wouldn't see her mom until later that night, and then it probably wouldn't even be for that long. And she was definitely trying everything to keep her mind off the fact that Don was once again not answering his cell phone. If she had to hear his voicemail message one more time, she was going to shove a phone down his throat the next time she saw him. But yes, Emma was definitely working on keeping herself distracted.

They'd rolled into Atlanta earlier that morning, earlier than when most people woke up. She'd been awake though, sitting in the lounge and watching as the lights passed them as the bus rolled up the interstate. The buses all parked at the venue, a small-ish club in the middle of downtown. She'd gotten off and wandered around some, having no idea where she was really going. She knew the city a little bit but it'd been so long since she'd been there. She found a coffee shop, grabbed breakfast and headed back to the buses where everyone had just been starting to wake up. She'd talked to her mom a little later in the afternoon as they checked into a hotel not far from the club. They'd be there two nights so at least she'd get a hot shower and an actual bed to sleep in.

She was hunched over the table on the bus when she heard Nick stomp his way onto the bus. For such a skinny kid he sure could make a lot of noise. He grinned to himself when he saw her. "Hey what're you doing in here by yourself?"

"Going over a few things. Your manager wants to use some of these black and white shots for promo. I'm trying to pick out the ones I like the best." She sighed and sat back, rubbing the back of her neck. "So superstar, what are _you _doing?"

"Nothing, taking a breather." He sat down across from her with a sigh, "so happy we're in your hometown? Well...kind of hometown."

"I'm not even from here!"

"Well I said _kind of._" Of course he said this as if that should've been completely obvious. "Your mom coming?"

"Later, she said. She has to work so she might miss the show. But I told her she had to make an appearance at least one day."

"Cool, cool. I can't wait to meet her."

Emma raised an eyebrow, he was acting weird. "You can't?"

"Yeah. She's your mom! I've talked to your boyfriend, I've got to get to know your mom now. She'll have all the real good dirt on you."

She nodded and looked down at the pictures laid out in front of her. "I guess so. She'll have lots of embarrassing kid stories."

Nick's phone rang just then and he looked down at the number before scrambling to stand up. "Uh I gotta take this. See ya around Em!"

She looked up and watched the skinny boy's retreating back. He was definitely acting weird but that wasn't _that_ unusual. Shrugging a shoulder, she just went back to looking over the pictures in front of her. She still had a job to do, even if she wasn't really in the mood to do it.

Nick ducked out of the bus and looked over his shoulder to make sure their photographer wasn't following him at that moment. Once he was sure he was safely alone he answered the phone with a, "yeah?"

"We're about ten minutes from the club. She suspect anything?" Don asked on the other end of the phone.

Nick had to laugh, glancing back towards the bus as he walked across the parking lot. "Nope, she doesn't have a clue. She's on the bus working at the moment, think she's gotta send some stuff off this afternoon."

"Good. Make sure she stays on the bus. You sure you can hide me out until the show starts?"

"Of course. I got you and Emma's mom taken care of, trust me."

"Kid, I don't trust someone that I could be the father of.."

"You're not _that_ old!" Nick exclaimed before frowning, trying to do the math in his head quickly. "Are you?"

"Uh no. I would hope not, let's not talk about how old I am. We'll be there in a few, okay?"

"Yeah yeah I'll be waiting." Nick hung up and slid the phone into his pocket as he waited. He got no respect, none at all from anyone!

* * *

She was sitting off to the side of the stage as the show went on, her camera in hand. She'd been in the front of the crowd when it first started, snapping a few pictures before taking her position off to the side. She'd taken a few shots from there but other than that, she was just watching the show. The kids in the crowd had been going crazy since the concert started so any shots she did take from her new spot were mostly crowd shots.

She had the camera in front of her face when she saw someone in the back that looked...slightly out of place. Emma pulled the camera down from her face and frowned, squinting to try to make out the figure. But the person was too far away and the venue was much too crowded to get a good look. Whoever it was looked very familiar though..

She ducked backstage and went to drop off her camera with the rest of her things. Somehow most of her stuff had gotten tossed in with Nick's, which wasn't all that unusual because the boy tended to throw everything every_where. _After that, she headed out to the main part of the venue. A bar was situated right in the middle, crowded around by the few legal aged people who'd come to the show along with parents who'd brought kids to the show and then the few under-agers who were trying their damnest to get something alcoholic to drink. She had to push through most of these people, throwing a glance towards the bartenders that were trying to keep up with the crowd.

Emma had to curse herself for getting all the short genes. She couldn't see a damn thing once she was out in the crowd and being short wasn't helping her cause. She knew she'd seen the figure that looked more than a little familiar standing near the merch table. But once she got to the merch table, no one was there except for the people working the table and a few people waiting in line to buy things. She sighed and turned around, looking for any sign of the stranger. If it was who she thought it was? She wasn't sure whether she'd cry, jump him or hit him just because she could.

* * *

Nick had hidden Don and Linda out for most of the afternoon. He was able to hide them out in the actual venue for awhile until Emma finished her work, then he had to usher them out to the club but by then they were both starving and headed out to get something to eat before the show. Once the show started though, they hung out near the back to watch the band. Even Don had to admit that the band wasn't _that_ bad, although he could do without the massive amounts of hair dye and piercings that surrounded him. He'd been able to spot Emma easily, watching as she appeared on the side of stage and snapped a few pictures.

But then just when he thought that maybe they could wait to surprise Emma until after the show, it suddenly felt like she was looking right at him. He ducked into the crowd more and moved around as he saw her leave the side of the stage. Don had spotted her come out into the crowd and had to grin, she had maybe spotted him but at least he could blend in and hide enough to where he could watch her, but she couldn't see him. Linda caught up with him eventually and they had to laugh as they followed behind Emma a few paces as she went around, trying not to be obvious about looking for someone

* * *

She sighed and eventually took a spot near the wall (so she could lean against something) as the show winded down. She knew the set list by heart by that point as it was, they didn't tend to stray too far from the same list night after night. But it was beginning to really bum her out that she couldn't find the familiar stranger. Of course she could've just been going completely insane and seeing things but she'd been so sure. With a sigh, she pushed away from the wall and made her way backstage, flashing her badge at security as she went. She might as well get her stuff together to go back to the hotel and hopefully hear from her mom as to when they could meet up.

Emma finished shoving her things into her bag just as the boys made their way off the stage, covered in sweat and still bouncing from the adrenaline rush of playing a show. They were all talking loudly as they grabbed for bottles of water and wiped the sweat that was dripping off of all of them. Emma had to laugh as she moved out of their way, not wanting to get attacked by one of the super sweaty boys. She'd gotten attacked more than once and had ended up absolutely drenched in sweat thanks to one of the guys using her as their personal towel.

Nick saw her moving for the door and balked, pushing past Brad and Sam in time to catch the back of Emma's shirt. "Hey where you goin'?" He asked quickly. He knew Don and Linda were waiting outside for Emma but didn't want her to go out just yet. They could be lurking around! And he didn't want to ruin the surprise.

"Just out to the bus, plus I need to call my mom." She pulled back from him some before making a face, "Nick you seriously need to shower..you smell like a trash can."

"Hey not my fault the shower on the bus quit working last week!"

"Yes well we have hotel rooms for a reason."

"So we can get laid?" Brad interjected as he slung an arm around Nick's shoulders, wiggling his eyebrows.

Emma rolled her eyes, "Well if you want to get laid then I guess so."

"You be in my room around 2 okay?" He said jokingly, complete with the kind of cocky grin that made her want to slap him. But Brad was harmless.

"Yeah right, sure." She laughed, shaking her head, "I'll be on the bus guys."

Nick smiled and nodded his head, tugging Brad back into the room with him. He just hoped he gave Don and Linda enough time to get outside. He couldn't wait to see Emma's face though. Of course if she completely hated surprises then she'd be pissed off but...Nick just had to hope that she really liked surprises that came in the form of her boyfriend.

* * *

She was humming under her breath as she walked through some of the people working in the backstage area. She had to go through the back doors to get outside, not surprised to find a group of fans still hanging out. They looked hopeful when the door opened, most likely expecting to see Sam or Brad, but their faces all dropped when they saw it was a girl. By that time, Emma was used to the slightly dirty looks she got from the band's female fans. For some reason a lot of them had gotten convinced that Emma was _with _one of them, even though all of the guys were much too young for her to even be remotely interested in. They'd found a few postings on the band's message boards wondering who the brunette was and while rumors had flown about her being a girlfriend (or just a groupie tagging along), a lot had actually figured out that Emma was the band photographer. She just smiled at a few as she made her way across the parking lot towards the buses.

Her cell rang from inside her pocket and she had to stop to fish it out, her bag was heavy and in the way. "Hello?" She hadn't even bothered to look at the number.

"Hey where are you?"

"Don? Uh..I'm going to the bus to put my stuff up before we head to the hotel. The show just finished." She started walking again, her bag thumping against her leg as she did so. "What are you doing? Out with Danny again.."

"Nah. I did come out, went to a show myself." He was across the parking lot from her, grinning as he watched her.

"Really? What show?" She looked up as she reached the bus, reaching up to open the door.

"I dunno, someone told me I should check it out so I headed out after work."

"You don't know what show?" Emma opened the door but didn't climb on just yet. "That's kind of weird, Mr. I Have to Plan Everything."

"Hey I do not!"

"Okay just some of the time." She laughed, "so how was the show?"

"Pretty good. There was this cute girl that I kept seeing.."

"Uh..huh.." She frowned some to herself. Great, so he couldn't answer his phone or call her but when he did decide to call her it was to brag about some _other_ girl?

"Yeah. Brunette. Kinda short though, I mean you know how it is.."

"Don!"

He laughed, "Emma?"

"You're such an asshole. How dare you just call me out of the blue and brag about meeting some girl at a concert? You barely answer your phone or even return my calls!" She growled as she hoisted her bag up onto her shoulder further and went up onto the bus, stomping her feet as loud as she could just for the extra effect. "You're such an asshole. Here I was worried that something happened or you'd meet someone while I was gone and you do!"

He was laughing again and that only infuriated her more. Emma dropped her bag heavily onto the floor, not even caring if she broke anything inside or not. "What are you laughing at!" She exclaimed finally.

"Emma..look out the window."

She frowned again, "Huh?"

"Look out the window, you nerd."

She blinked a couple of times but moved over onto one of the lounge couches and pulled the shade up, looking out the window that faced the parking lot. Her jaw dropped when she saw both her boyfriend and her mother standing there, with the biggest grins on their faces and waving at her. "How...when..Don!" She finally managed to stutter.

He just laughed again, "uh..surprise?"

"I'm gonna kill you!" She closed the phone and clambered off the couch, tripping over the bag she'd dropped a few seconds before as she tried to hurry off the bus.

Across the parking lot, Don looked down at Linda as he hung up his phone. "I think that worked out well.."

They both looked over at the bus as they heard a shriek and watched as Emma nearly stumbled down off the bus. Linda laughed, "She's going to kill herself before she even gets over here. She definitely didn't get her lack of coordination from me.."

He shook his head with a grin before he started walking towards Emma.

"I can't believe you're here!" She exclaimed as she launched herself at him.

He laughed as he caught her, hugging her tightly as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I wanted to surprise you, Em."

She pulled back enough to look at him and tried her best to glare at him but it didn't work as she grinned. "I think it worked! How'd you get here??"

"I had a little help from your mom...and from that blonde kid in the band who I'm pretty sure has a crush on you."

"Nick? Oh I'm so going to kill him!"

"Aw come on, aren't you glad to see me?"

She gave him a look but nodded as she leaned in, pressing her lips against his. "Very glad to see you," She said before burying her face against his neck.


	85. Chapter 85

_AN: apologies for the lack in updating. Mix writer's block with school and well..yeah. So it's up! I'm going to get to work on the next chapter though. thanks for all the kind reviews! _

* * *

"So did you miss me?" He asked against her ear, reaching up with one hand to push her hair back over her shoulder.

She shivered a little involuntarily and then mentally cursed herself. Three weeks without her boyfriend and she was acting like a 13 year old on her first date.

They were standing in the parking lot still, although it seemed like it'd filled with people suddenly. She'd spotted Sam and Nick wandering around, with Nick giving her a grin and a thumbs-up sign. There were fans wandering around while people were packing up things from the show but really all Emma could focus on was the fact that Don and Linda were both there to see her. But so far Emma hadn't moved too far from Don, content to stand next to him even if they weren't touching or holding hands or anything.

She finally moved to look up at him and nodded her head. "Well of course. Didn't you miss me?"

He pretended to think for a moment until Emma punched him in the arm. With a laugh, he rubbed at his arm where she'd punched him (it _had_ kind of hurt) before saying, "of course! It's very boring without you around. Plus it just means I'm subjected to Danny and Lindsay flirting all damn day."

"So they _are_ together?"

He slung an arm around her shoulders as he nodded. "Yeah. I don't know who knows and who doesn't know. Danny acts like a lovesick puppy around her though, it's really amusing."

She laughed, "aw what do you think they say about you?"

Don paused for a moment. Did he really act like a lovesick puppy? Surely not. That wasn't _him._ "Whatever." He shrugged. "I don't act like that ever so I don't need to worry what people say about me."

"Oh really?" Emma laughed again before shaking her head. "You want to get out of here?"

Linda had been distracted by Nick for awhile now, most likely telling all sorts of embarrassing stories that could be used against Emma in the future. But she chose that moment to approach the couple that had yet to really disengage from each other. "I've got to head back to the house, you call me in the morning and we'll see about meeting up before you leave."

Emma felt back, really she did. Here her mom had driven up to see her and she felt like she barely got to spend any time with her. "You don't have to go mom, you could get a room here you know."

She shook her head, "No I don't want to cramp you kids' style or anything."

Emma rolled her eyes but smiled. "I'll call you in the morning, okay?"

Linda hugged her daughter tightly. "Of course. And I think that Nick boy has a huge crush on you.."

"He's the one that got Don here!"

Linda laughed as she pulled back, glancing back at the crowd of girls surrounding the blonde boy. "Well still, I'd say if he were a little older or you were young enough for him, he'd be hitting on you all the time. And I only told him a few stories, nothing horrid. I know what you're thinking."

"Mom!"

Linda just smiled and moved to say goodbye to Don.

* * *

The two of them went back to the hotel once everything had been packed up and all fans had dispersed. Emma was suddenly tired from being on her feet and working all day but at least Don had offered to carry her heavy bag. She led him down the hallway to her room, glancing back as he caught up with her. "You know, it's not the W hotel in New York or anything.." 

He raised an eyebrow, "what?"

"This hotel."

He laughed, dropping a kiss onto the top of her head as he stopped behind her, watching as she unlocked the door. "It's not so bad. I've stayed in worse, believe me. And since when do you stay at the W?"

"I haven't before, I'm just saying!" She grumbled under her breath some as she finally managed to get the door unlocked and pushed open. The damn thing stuck earlier too but having Don standing two inches behind her made it even worse.

He laughed softly as they went inside, closing the door behind him. She sighed and kicked off her shoes in the direction of her suitcase, looking back as he put her bag down on the floor. "I'm glad I came, you know. It was nice to see you in action," He said as he unzipped his jacket.

"I still can't believe you and my mother managed to surprise me. I feel like I should either kiss or kill Nick too." Emma moved close enough to him, slipping her arms around his waist.

He gave her a grin, "aw now if you kissed him he might like that a lot.."

"Why does everyone think he has a crush on me!"

He laughed, "baby he _does_. But I think he realizes you have a thing with guys that carry guns.."

She sighed dramatically as she leaned against him. "Unfortunately."

"He seems like a good kid though."

Emma nodded her head and had to stand on her tip toes to reach him but finally managed to press her lips against his. "He is. They all are. Now can we quit talking about the guys? Please?"

He let out a laugh as he leaned down to kiss her back, nudging her backwards enough so that they were moving towards the main part of the room. "Okay, okay no more talking about them.."

"Good."


	86. Chapter 86

_AN: So I've been attempting to update this story for about three or four days now and kept erroring, so I apologize for the lateness in getting this posted!  
_

* * *

  
Stepping back into New York was a little weird; a little like going into a whole different world. Which was weird in itself considering Emma had lived in New York City most of her life. But being away for three weeks felt like an eternity. The flight into the city was uneventful even though Emma was still in 'nervous flyer' mode like usual. She was just looking forward to getting back to her own apartment and sleep in her own bed. She had discs full of pictures to go through, edit and then choose the best ones to send off to the band's management. Hopefully they'd use some in their upcoming cd or other things, at least then Emma would be able to feel like she'd accomplished something on this trip.

Don had his bag slung over his shoulder as the two of them made their way out of the JFK airport. Their flight had been a little later expected but other than that everything had gone smoothly. They were both tired though and it felt like they'd flown all night, rather than just a few hours. Emma let out a sigh as she dragged her bag with her, it felt like it weighed a ton when she supposed it was just in part to her being tired. A line of cabs were lined up once they stepped outside and she let Don lead the way to one of the empty ones, tossing their things inside the trunk before sliding into the backseat. Emma had to smile some once the cab pulled away from the curb and out towards the street. He was giving her a weird look in the seat next to her and raised an eyebrow, "What're you smiling at?"

"I don't know. It's just good to be home..."

He smiled after a moment and nodded his head as he turned to look out the window as the city came into focus. He hadn't even been gone that long and had to admit that it was nice to be back home.

Don had given the driver Emma's address, knowing she wanted to go to her own apartment before anything else. Traffic was its usual headache in the city as the driver wove between cars and other taxis. But it didn't take too awful long for the cab to reach her apartment building. Emma opened the door to the cab and nearly tripped getting out in her hurry, laughing as she did so. "Okay hi? I need to sleep..."

He reached out, placing his hand on her lower back to steady her as he followed her out of the cab, going around to the trunk to get their things out. "I think you do. I'd hate to have to take you to the emergency room when you've been home all of five seconds..."

Don handed her bag to her before digging for his wallet to pay the cab driver; in his haste to make sure Emma didn't kill herself getting out of the cab he hadn't paid. Once that was taken care of though, Emma turned to look up at her building. It was, of course, the same but it just felt different. Why did it feel like she'd been gone for three years? With a smile, she shook her head and went inside. Don followed a few seconds later behind her. They got into the elevator and as the doors slid closed, Emma took the opportunity to lean against Don's shoulder. "Thanks for coming to see me down there. I know I've said that before but. I'm glad you came."

He turned enough to kiss the top of her head with a smile. "And I've told you before that it was nothing. I wanted to come see you."

"Did it feel like absolutely forever to you?"

He laughed but nodded. It _had _felt like she'd been away from him and their friends for much longer than three weeks. He wouldn't admit it to anyone but he'd missed her more than he thought he would. He'd gotten used to having her in his life in some form or fashion for...about as long as she could remember. "Well...yeah it did feel pretty long. I'm glad you're home though."

"Me too. I missed the city...even if it does smell."

"Smell like what?" He asked as the elevator doors opened on her floor and the two of them stepped out, both dragging their bags behind them.

"I don't know. I think I've just been gone so long that I forgot what it smells like."

Don just looked confused but eventually just shook his head, watching as she dug her keys out from the bottom of her purse. "It doesn't smell," He finally said as she unlocked the door and pushed it open.

"Yeah...okay." She laughed and went inside, dropping her bag just inside the door before she kicked off her shoes. "Oh my god it is so good to be home!"

He watched amused as she started stripping off some of the layers she'd traveled in. After her shoes went the jacket she'd put on and after that went the short sleeve shirt she had on underneath, leaving her in a pair of sweatpants and a tank top. "What the hell are you doing Em?"

She was walking through her apartment, flipping on the lights and touching things just to make sure they were there. "I have no idea but it is _so_ good to be back in my own place. Oh god, my _own_ bed!" And with a decidedly girlish shriek, she took off down the hallway in a flash towards her bedroom.

He found her sprawled out on top of the blankets on her back, staring up at the ceiling with a contented smile on her face. He laughed softly as he kicked off his own shoes before climbing on the bed over top of her. One of his hands grazed over her hip where her tank top had ridden up and didn't quite reach the waistband of her sweatpants, revealing some of the skin he couldn't seem to get enough of in the few days they'd been back together. She sighed softly once he was face to face with her, smiling as he leaned down to kiss her gently. After that he moved to her side, he didn't want to crush his girlfriend after all, and laid down. Emma curled up next to him, eventually throwing one of her legs over his. She let out a contented sigh before turning her head to see him better. "See? Isn't this so much better?" She asked.

"Mmhm. Very nice. I mean, it's quiet. It doesn't smell like some gross hotel. We're home. You're about half naked...I'd say we're doing pretty good here Emma." He grinned but kept his eyes on the ceiling above them.

She let out a snort and smacked his chest, although it wasn't enough to do any real damage. "Well that was certainly prolific Flack. Geez." She sat up, pushing her hair out of her face.

He laughed, putting his hands behind his head as he stretched out across the bed. "Hey I just speak the truth."

"Mum." She smiled and moved to lay down again, this time nearly on top of him. She closed her eyes as one of his arms wound its way around her, pulling her up closer to him. "When do you work again?"

"Tomorrow night. Unless something comes up, of course. Everyone knows when we were coming home." He let his own eyes fall closed with a sigh. "Hey...you know what we should do?"

"What's that?" She opened her eyes, tilting her head up some.

"We should move in together."

She blinked a couple of times in surprise. Now this was a new revelation. Emma shifted to lean up onto her elbows some. "Seriously?"

"Yeah." His eyes opened a little slower and he looked down at her. "Don't you get tired of splitting our time between two places?"

"You want me to move in with you."

He nodded his head. "Well yeah. I mean, not like you have to do it now or anything...just an idea."

"My lease isn't up for another six months..."

He smiled, reaching out with his other hand to brush a piece of hair back that'd fallen in her face. "Think about it."

"You've been thinking about it a lot?"

"Some, yeah. It was weird not having you around while you were gone. I think I got spoiled by you being here constantly, especially after the...you know."

She nodded and laid back down with her head against his chest. "Yeah."

"Think about it Em, not like I need an answer right this second when you've been home all of two hours." His finger slid through her hair and down the back of her neck as he yawned, "If you did though I think we'd have to definitely bring your bed. Much more comfortable than mine."

Don fell asleep a lot quicker that night than Emma did. It wasn't that anything was wrong necessarily; it was just that she couldn't shut her brain off. He wanted them to move in together. Of course that was the next logical step. It was just a little surprising because...well, she hadn't known Don to live with any of his other girlfriends. She blinked, staring up at the ceiling. Lights from outside the window were flickering in and out but other than that, it was dark. He had never lived with any of his prior girlfriends which meant he had to be pretty serious about her...right? Oh God he was serious about her...

Not that she wasn't serious about him because it was obvious that they loved each other. Hell, she didn't know what boyfriend would just drop everything to go surprise his girlfriend so he had to be pretty serious about this whole thing. And it wasn't that she didn't want to move in with him. She just knew it would be a definite change. At the moment they had their own places and could go to their respective apartments when they either weren't in the mood to put up with the other or just when they needed their own personal space. If they moved in together then that would throw a wrench into the whole personal space thing. And they would definitely have to find another place. Her apartment would be too small for the both of them to live in full-time and he'd already said his was too bachelor-fied (his word) to be changed. Plus, his apartment was smaller than hers.

She smiled and looked over at him. He'd been awake long enough to change out of the clothes he'd traveled in before climbing on the bed and was passed out within minutes. Emma had taken the time to unpack a few of her things, although the most she'd unpacked had been a pile of clothing she was going to have to wash that weekend. He looked peaceful lying next to her though, almost innocent if she looked hard enough. And the smile grew on her face because she'd watched him sleep every night since he flew to Atlanta. The truth of the matter was, she could definitely see herself waking up to that view every morning.


	87. Chapter 87

_AN: Thank you all for being so patient with acting strangely and my inconsistent updating as of late. Good news is, I am done for the semester! I am still working pretty close to full-time but I hope to get back to updating regularly. So thank you for the reviews and kind words and most of all, thanks for sticking around :)_

* * *

One of the first people that Emma told about possibly moving in with Don was Louie. He'd called once they'd been back for a couple of days and insisted he take her out to lunch. They met the day before she started back to work and she met him near Central Park. The weather was still nice, warm and sunny so they agreed to walk around some before finding a vendor to get food from. Emma was nearly bursting at the seams to tell someone just because it was beginning to eat at her. But Louie looked great; there was really no noticeable sign of any of his injuries. Of course, he could pick up that something was different with her. But he didn't have to ask her about it before she finally just said, "Don asked me to move in with him."

He smiled at the way she was nearly bouncing on her feet when she said it. The woman didn't even realize how she was acting, but she just looked happy. "And what'd you say?" He asked as he pointed to one of the many street vendors and led her over to it.

"Well, I haven't really given him an answer yet..."

"Why not?"

"Uh...good question." Emma sighed as they got into line behind two other people. "He wants me to think on it. I've got something like six months left on my lease and he was talking about how his place it too small. So he wants to find something bigger for the both of us."

He shrugged a shoulder as he dug around in his back pocket for his wallet. "You should do it. It's the next logical step, isn't it?"

"I think so. I haven't mentioned it to anyone yet, I didn't want him to like...change his mind."

Louie laughed, "That's the last thing he'd do Emma and you know it."

"I know, I know." She stepped up to the vendor, turning to face Louie some. "It's just nerve-wracking. Have you ever moved in with a girlfriend?"

He shook his head after she ordered something to drink and eat, then he did the same before he answered her. "I've never gotten too serious with anyone to move in with them."

"See! He hasn't either."

"Have you?"

"Well...no."

"First time for everything," Louie said with a grin as he paid for both their food before Emma could even blink. "What's the worst that could happen? You may annoy the hell out of each other, but I'm sure you do that at times anyway so really there's nothing to worry about."

She had to admit that he was right. Damnit, he was right. Nodding, she took her drink and food from him as he handed them to her. The two of them walked until they found an empty bench and sat down. "You're right," She said.

He smiled at her before shrugging a shoulder. "I usually am. People just don't choose to listen to me."

"So you think I should do it?"

He nodded, "I think you should do it. You two have known each other for...I don't know, forever. You love him and all that sappy stuff and I'm guessing he feels the same or else he'd be completely stupid. So yes. I think you should do it."

Emma laughed and leaned over, pressing a kiss against his cheek. "If I hadn't fallen for Don eventually and all that, I would so make you take me out on a date."

As she pulled back and sat against the back of the bench, she could've sworn that Louie turned a little red. But as soon as she noticed it, it was gone and he was back to that slight sly grin that he had. "Yeah, yeah. Well, if he goes and screws all this up? I'll be sure to take you out. All my friends would be jealous."

"Yeah right." She rolled her eyes but was trying her best not to turn beet red or any other color.

* * *

One of the second people she told about possibly moving in with Don was Stella, and that was in a phone call from the other woman who wanted to hear about her tour. Emma let it slip inadvertently and nearly burst out laughing in the middle of the sidewalk in Manhattan when Stella nearly shrieked into the phone. And then, of course, insisted that Emma must move in with Don. Preferably right that second if she could. The two made plans to meet up later when things hopefully weren't as hectic as they had been and Stella even suggested grabbing Lindsay so it would be at true girls' night out.

Of course, five minutes after getting off the phone with Stella, Emma's phone rang again. She was about a half block from her apartment and had to stop in the middle of the sidewalk, bypassing people as they rushed past her to their destinations. It took her a moment to dig her phone from the depths of her purse and she had to curse herself momentarily for getting such a big purse and such a small phone. But once it was found (and still ringing), she glanced at the number and smiled.

"Hi Danny."

"So what is with Stella runnin' around here with the goofiest look on her face?" He asked on the other end.

She laughed and started walking again. "I don't know, has she attacked my boyfriend yet?"

"Probably where she was heading. What, you two get hitched and none of us know about it? Because you know, I'd be pretty damn pissed if that were the case."

"Why? You want me for yourself?"

His tone was light and teasing, which had to be her favorite of Danny's moods. "Yeah of course."

"What about Lindsay?"

He laughed at that, "damn I've been found out.."

"You just want your own harem." She was grinning, unable to keep it from practically breaking her face in half. "But Stella's probably got the goofy look on her face because Don asked me to move in with him."

"Really? Man, he's never lived with a girlfriend before.."

Emma had to laugh at that because it really was true. In all the years she'd known Don, he'd never gotten serious with anyone enough to even think about living with him. His last girlfriend had been fairly serious but even all of Don's friends and family could tell the two of them weren't a good match. "So I guess that must mean he's pretty serious, huh?" She shifted her bag up onto her shoulder after it fell down her arm and headed inside her building.

"Apparently. I'm going to have to have a talk with him.."

"Well don't make him change his mind!"

"I won't, I won't. I'm just teasing. That'd be great though. Plus that way you're not stuck running between two places, right?"

"Yeah. It's sounding better all the time. So what's up?"

"Nothing really, thought I'd call and see what was going on. Especially since I have yet to see you. Is Flack hiding you from us?"

"No! We've both been busy since we've been back. I've been trying to get everything edited and mailed off. But I promise we'll hang out soon."

Danny let out a sigh that could only be categorized as dramatic. He just sounded so...put out. But she could still hear the smile in his voice, "fine. Don't go and forget about us little people, you know. Flack on this weekend?"

"Umm...I think so?" Emma answered as she stepped in front of the elevator to wait for it to reach the lobby. "Why, you actually have a day off?"

"Supposedly. I'm on my fifth day in a row so I'm about beat. But yeah, why don't you come over Saturday and hang out? We'll find a game to watch or something."

"Really? Well I think I can do that. Don might think we're cheating on him though.."

Danny laughed, "Shh it'll be our little secret." She could hear noise on the other end of the phone and then Danny yelling out a, "HEY!"

Her brow furrowed and she began to wonder where he was exactly. The phone sounded like it was snatched from him though, but then all her questions were answered when she heard a familiar voice on the other end. "So what's this about you cheating on me?"

She laughed when she heard Don and then could hear Danny protesting loudly in the background. "Anyone ever tell you that you shouldn't eavesdrop on people's conversations?"

"Messer, don't make me punch you," He said before answering her. "Yeah but this is my girlfriend and best friend."

"Hey you won't be around to entertain me!"

He laughed at that. "So you get Danny? Please, Em. Really?"

"Would you trust me with anyone else?"

Okay she had him there. "Alright, you're right about that. Fine, you two can hang out and watch whatever game is on and do it all without me."

"Are you going to give Danny's phone back to him?"

Don sighed and pretended to think it over. "I don't know, I kind of like talking to you.."

"Suck up."

"Hey!"

There was another scuffle and finally Danny came back on the line. "Okay much better. Flack don't make me come over there. Anyway, he'll see you later and I'll see you on Saturday okay?"

She was laughing, having the mental image of two grown men fighting over a cell phone. "Yeah sure, tell him to behave."

"Can I hit him if he doesn't?"

"Yeah sure. Bye Danny."

She hung up the phone just as the elevator doors opened, sliding it back into her purse before stepping inside. One thing was for sure, she was definitely surrounded by some interesting characters.


	88. Chapter 88

_AN: so I readily admit that I suck :-x I'm sorry for the long delay in updates but writer's block took over there for awhile. But I think I've found my muse again (especially thanks to re-watching episodes). I'm hopefully going to have another chapter or two by this weekend!  
_

* * *

There was something fun and relaxing about being able to sit down, drink a few beers and watch mass amounts of sports on Danny's TV. And that was just what him and Emma found themselves doing on Saturday. It was a bright, warm afternoon. The sun was filtering in through the windows and if it wasn't for the air conditioning, Emma could swear she was at the ballpark. They'd been having a good afternoon though, joking and picking on one another, yelling at the TV over pizza and other snacks he'd horded in his kitchen for who knows how long.

Danny stood up from the couch at one of the commercial breaks, moving around the couch to go into the kitchen for something to drink. "So when you planning on moving in with Flack? And do you want something to drink?"

She was still nursing a beer and shook her head as she looked back at him over the couch. "I'm good, thanks. And I don't know. I gotta figure out what to do with my lease."

"Just find someone to take it over?"

Emma nodded her head as she shifted back to look at the TV as the game came back on. "I thought about it. That might just be the easiest thing to do."

He gave her a grin as he came back, sitting down next to her. "You sound like you don't know whether you want to move in with him or not..."

She smiled over the top of her beer before she leaned forward, setting it on the table in front of them. "It's not _that_ really. It's just...well...what if it changes everything? What if we absolutely hate living together?"

"I've known Flack a long time. He's absolutely crazy about you. Even if you all fought every single day, he'd try to find a way to fix it all." He shrugged a shoulder as he sat back against the couch, stretching his legs out in front of him. "And you've known him a hell of a long time Em; I don't think you all would hate living together."

She smiled at him before saying, "you've had one too many beers Messer."

He laughed at that and shook his head quickly. "I'm being serious! For once, I am being completely serious. I know it's hard to believe."

Emma stood up, watching as the batter on TV hit the ball, the camera following it wildly as it sailed through the air towards the back of the stadium. She walked around the couch to the pool table, running her hand around the edge. Now, don't get her wrong. It wasn't that she _didn't_ want to move in with Flack. But it was a big step. A big step that could lead to other big steps. Of course she loved him, loved to hang out with him, sleep next to and wake up next to him. She really liked doing all of those couple-y things that made other single, bitter people sick to see. She just wasn't so sure she was ready to give up the bit of independence having her own apartment brought. But on the other hand, she knew it was a natural progression of things in their relationship. Don was actually serious about her if he'd asked her to move in with him. He'd never done that before with anyone. The closest he'd gotten to moving in with someone was with Christianna but it most likely would've been really short-lived had it happened.

She turned around, not surprised to see Danny staring at her oddly. He smiled when she met his eyes though, "you must be thinkin' hard. You were quiet for a whole five minutes there."

Playfully glaring at him, she wandered back to the couch and dropped down next to him to watch the rest of the game.

The evening ended when Danny got a call from Lindsay. He frowned and shut the phone once the short conversation ended. Emma looked at him and raised an eyebrow at the look on his face. "You don't look too happy. What's wrong?"

"Lindsay canceled for tonight. We were supposed to go grab something to eat."

"Oh? Well, maybe she's tired." With the way they all worked, it was a wonder they didn't fall over from exhaustion.

But Danny shook his head, "Nah. That may be part of it but she's canceled twice now. Said there's some things she's got to take care of."

"I don't think that means she's totally dumping you or anything. Maybe she does have some stuff to do." Emma shrugged before smiling brightly, "I could be your dinner date tonight?"

He cracked a grin. "You've been my date all day long. I don't need your boyfriend all pissed off at me."

Emma laughed but nodded as she stood from the couch. It was starting to get late and she needed to get home. "Fine, fine. This was a lot of fun though, call me whenever you want and we can do it again."

He smiled and got up to follow her to the door. "It was. We'll definitely have to do it again, especially if there's a game on again the next time I'm off."

"Tell Lindsay I said 'hi' next time you talk to her? We all need to get together anyway." She said as she turned to give him a hug before stepping into the hallway. "And don't look so down Danny, she may be really worn out from all that weird work y'all do on a daily basis."

He nodded, leaning against the door as he watched her check her purse most likely for her phone and keys. "I know. I'll talk to you later?"

"Yeah. I'll see you Danny."

They said their goodbyes and he closed the door once Emma had disappeared down the hallway. With a sigh, Danny turned to go clean up the mess they'd made from their afternoon of ballgame watching. He might not have had a date that night but at least his apartment would be somewhat clean! Things with Lindsay had gotten complicated it seemed. Neither wanted to jeopardize their career by being completely open with their relationship, even if it _was_ obvious to other people. But neither wanted to give up their relationship either. Danny liked her. A lot. Enough to give up his old, 'man whore'- type ways. And he thought that she liked him too. They'd gone out some, hung out even more. There had been kisses and light touches and hand holding. Every thing that constituted a relationship, they were doing. But something had been up with her for the past couple of weeks. She'd gotten distant and seemed to pull back into herself. It was reminiscent of when she'd first arrived in New York. But when he inquired about it, Lindsay just said that some personal things were going on. She hadn't elaborated more than that and he hadn't pushed the issue. It wasn't his business, even though he wanted to know. Danny just hoped that whatever it was, she'd tell someone before it drove her completely insane.

* * *

Emma unlocked the door to her apartment, pushing it open with her foot as she went through the mail she held in her hand. Bills, bills and more bills. She rolled her eyes and cursed being an adult for a moment before reaching blindly around for the light switch. Her place was empty and it was kind of sad to come home to something so...lonely. Of course Don was still on-call or she was sure he'd probably be over pilfering through her fridge for something to eat. Dropping the mail onto the counter, she sighed and kicked off her shoes. She'd been happily buzzed while at Danny's nearly all day but now it was all starting to wear off. Pushing a stray piece of hair out of her face, she grabbed her cell phone from her purse and dialed Don's number. Even if he was out on a call, she'd at least get his voicemail.

Of course that's exactly where it went. Leaning against the counter, she listened to his entirely too long voicemail greeting before leaving a message. "Hey it's me. Thought I'd call and let you know that I'm home from Danny's. It was a lot of fun; you would've laughed at how stupid we are together. But I did win our bet! The Yankees lost, just like I told you." She laughed as she pushed away from the counter, moving to go down the hallway to her bedroom. "Anyway. I just thought I'd tell you that. And also...thought I'd tell you that I want to move in with you."


	89. Chapter 89

There were few things that made him question his job. Cases involving fellow cops, kids or women were pretty high on the live. Dealing with a case involving both kids and women? That almost took the cake. It was almost too much to bear, even after years on the job. But as he checked his voicemail at the end of his shift, bone weary and dead tired, he couldn't stop the grin that crossed his face. He thought of calling her but decided against it. It was too late, she was probably asleep or well on her way there. But he decided instead of calling her to go over there.

Hurriedly, he finished up the last of his paperwork knowing that he'd go over it later when his mind was clear and wasn't running circles around in his head. Then Don was gone, leaving the precinct and driving faster than was legal. For once, Manhattan traffic was cooperating but that could've been because it was so damn late. Once he parked, he very nearly ran up the stairs to her floor since he was too impatient to wait for the elevator. And he nearly ran right past her door before catching himself. He reached up and knocked then was patient enough to wait a few seconds before knocking again.

Don was poised to knock a third time when he heard the lock turn. She opened the door, bleary eyed and looking slightly annoyed. But he thought she was just about the most beautiful thing ever. And oh how cliché and cheesy he'd become! Emma barely had time to say his name before he was inside the door, his arms going around her waist. She made a sound of surprise as he kicked the door closed behind him and lifted her up by her hips. She could feel his grin against her mouth as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Her fingers slid their way through his hair as he started walking back in the direction of the bedroom. "Hell Flack, if I'd known all I had to do was leave you a voicemail to get you to come over, I'd move in with you everyday!"

He laughed into the kiss, eventually moving down to her neck, dropping kissing across the column of her neck. "It was just a good end to a really, _really_ bad day." He mumbled the last part against her skin, being careful not to drop her back onto the bed once they got that far.

* * *

Sunday morning light filtered softly into the bedroom. Sounds of the city below were there but not as intrusive as they tended to be at times. Emma stretched out lazily, her eyes opening and a smile crossed her face at the sight in front of her. Don looked so innocent as he slept, content and peaceful all rolled into one tall package. The sheet was a stark whiteness against the tanned skin it revealed, his breathing deep and even as he slept. Leaning over, Emma brushed a light kiss across the skin of his shoulder before pulling back. She didn't want to disturb on a lazy Sunday. Instead, she climbed out of the bed carefully and reached down on the floor for any article of clothing she could get her fingers on. Anything would do at the moment but she silently laughed when she pulled up Don's dark blue dress shirt that had been deposited there hours earlier. 

Pulling it on, she buttoned up a few of the buttons before standing, the floor cool under her bare feet. She snuck around the end of the bed, grabbing her camera off her dresser before sneaking back onto the bed next to him. It wasn't often that he was completely relaxed and at peace. When he slept there were no worry lines on his face and he looked just about near perfect. Snapping a few pictures, she shifted to put the camera on the nightstand, not wanting to intrude anymore on his dreams than she already had. Emma settled back in next to Don, sighing as the smell of his after shave and soap filled his senses. Another smile crossed her face when his arm, still heavy with sleep, wound its way over her hip. This was about as close to perfect as a Sunday morning could get.

They lay like that for another fifteen minutes before the peacefulness was interrupted by his phone ringing. Don groaned and buried his face in against Emma's shoulder before he pulled himself over her, reaching to grab his phone. "You know...I'd like one day where my phone doesn't ring with some body being found. Not fair." He grumbled as he laid back against the pillow, opening the phone and pressing it up against his ear with a gruff, "Detective Flack."

She stifled a laugh and moved to climb out of the bed, listening to some of his end of the conversation. She grabbed a pair of sweatpants from one of her dresser drawers and pulled them on. Her stomach was growling and that meant she needed food and preferably soon. Don hung up the phone after a moment, climbing out of the bed and grabbing his boxers off the floor. "So...I gotta go in, help Mac with a case." He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face.

She had to admit she was a little disappointed, wanting more than anything to just have a normal Sunday with her boyfriend. But duty calls, she supposed. She nodded as he walked around the bed towards her, sliding his arms around her waist "And I may need my shirt back. Although you look pretty hot in my clothes..." He smiled as he leaned down to kiss her.

Emma laughed but nodded her head. "I know it was the first thing I grabbed when I woke up though." She wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning up on her tip toes to reach him better. "Do you really have to go?"

He nodded with a sigh. "Yeah. I would say I'd be done in the early afternoon but I'm not for sure. Want me to call you?"

She supposed that'd be the best she was going to get at the moment. She understood his work, probably better than other girlfriends or dates would. But still. It did kind of suck. "Yeah, call me and we can get something to eat later."

His fingers went to work unbuttoning the shirt she wore, since he did kind of need it to leave her place. He had just enough time to go by his place and grab a change of clothes. "And we can talk about you moving in with me?"

She nodded as she leaned up, pressing her lips against his. "Yep. We can figure out when I can move in with you."

He smiled against her mouth, nodding his head. "So can I have my shirt back?"

"Well I _guess _so, I mean if you really have to." Emma sighed but pulled back from him before laughing. "Let me go grab some of my own clothes."

He watched as she disappeared from the bedroom. He really didn't want to go to work, the idea of spending a lazy Sunday with his girlfriend? Sounded much better than dragging himself into work at the moment.


	90. Chapter 90

Emma was at work, showing a man dressed in a much too expensive suit around the showroom. He was some big shot lawyer that she'd never heard of and didn't recognize but he was looking to spend big bucks on some artwork for a new office he was opening. Therefore, Emma pretended to be his best friend in order to get the sale. The door to the gallery opened just as the man was beginning to make a decision. She was surprised to look back and find a familiar face; Lindsay Monroe. She stood in the doorway for a good thirty seconds, looking worried and frazzled all rolled into one. Emma excused herself from the man to let him think some more and approached her. "Hey, what brings you by here?" She asked.

Sure, the two of them were friends who just happened to be dating two best friends but Lindsay didn't just show up at Emma's workplace. At least not often. The other woman was chewing on her lower lip, fidgeting from one foot to another. She looked over Emma's shoulder where the man in the suit still stood. "Are you busy? I can come back later."

Emma shook her head, taking Lindsay by the arm and leading her towards the front desk. "No, I can spare a few minutes while he finishes up. What's going on?"

"I...have to go to Montana for a little while," She said in a rush. "It's this _thing_ that happened back when I was a...a kid. They caught the guy and I have to testify."

Testify? Emma knew that they all had to go into court from time to time. Both Flack and Danny had always told her it was no big deal. They went in, did their thing and were out. No harm done. She was sure that Lindsay handled it all the same as they did usually. But now standing in front of her, she didn't seem like the same bubbly, happy person she'd gotten to know fairly well. And as much as Emma wanted to ask what had happened, why she had to go all the way back to Montana to testify, she didn't. Instead she nodded her head. "Okay, is there anything I can do to help?"

Lindsay let out a long breath, as if she'd expected the inquisitive remarks and questions to come from Emma. "No. I just...needed to tell someone. I haven't even really told Danny. I kind of just brushed him off."

Uh oh. Emma frowned some, that was a completely new revelation. "What? Why? I thought you two..." She trailed off, not wanting to just assume things. Even if Danny had told her they were pretty much together.

"We were. But I just needed some time to figure all this out. It's not his problem and shouldn't be."

"Linds, he wouldn't think it _was_ his problem. He'd want to help if he could."

Lindsay shook her head, one of her hands trembling slightly as she pushed her fingers through her hair. "No. He doesn't need someone with baggage."

"No way. He wouldn't see it like that," Emma said. And if anyone had baggage it was Danny Messer. Had Lindsay forgotten the whole Tanglewood Boys incident? If that wasn't baggage then she didn't know what was.

"I leave tomorrow night. Could you just check over at my place a couple of times? Just until I get back." Lindsay's whole demeanor had changed. She was no longer the trembling, frantic woman she had been when she'd come in before. Now she was someone who was all business and had stuff to take care of.

Emma then realized that the subject was dropped, effectively closed off, and Lindsay had moved on. "Yeah sure. I can do that; get your mail and stuff. Linds, if you do need anything though just let me know?"

Lindsay smiled tightly and moved for the door to leave. "Thanks Em."

* * *

Flack was fairly certain that he was insane or at least getting there. The cause was all thanks in part to his girlfriend, although he would never tell her that for fear of pissing her off. But he'd never been in a relationship before where he constantly thought about the other person. He was starting to hear Emma's voice and laughter throughout the day, often spinning around in a circle and expecting to find her standing behind him with a grin on her face. He was also starting to think he saw her places. Of course when he'd get close enough the person would often turn out to look nothing like her. But it was really starting to get weird when victims at crime scenes started to resemble Emma. But what made it that much worse was when other people noticed it as well. 

He and Hawkes were out on New York's latest crime; a woman who had been robbed in her apartment before her assailant had slashed her throat. Uniformed cops were roaming around as well, interviewing neighbors and keeping the scene secure. Hawkes knelt down next to the woman, shaking his head. "Man, she looks like-"

"Emma," Flack finished evenly.

Hawkes nodded, although he was probably the one with the least knowledge on Flack's girlfriend. They'd met a few times and he'd hung out with her some when they were around everyone else. He'd instantly liked her but that was just how Emma was in general. And hell, anyone that could put Flack in his place was good in his book. "I'm sure it's nothing. After all, how many brunettes live in Manhattan?" He said, glancing up at the detective.

Flack had to agree with him there. It just wasn't every day that a victim happened to look a hell of a lot like his girlfriend. It was almost uncanny and he had a hard time tearing his eyes away from the body to do his job. She looked to be about the same height and had the same build as Emma. Their skin tone was the same and while the woman's hair was maybe a shade darker than Emma's, it was the same length and looked to be the same texture. He didn't have to guess the color of her eyes since they stared back at them in silent horror. But they were the same color as Emma's and that was probably the hardest thing not to look at. Hawkes shook his head as he snapped a few pictures before moving to gather more evidence. It would almost look like nothing had happened to the woman if it wasn't for the slash of bright red across her throat.

Flack swallowed the lump that'd formed in his throat and pulled his phone from inside his pocket. Stepping out of the rundown apartment building, he scrolled through a few numbers before finding hers. A glance at his watch told him she'd either be just getting off work or at home already. It rang three times, each one seeming longer than the previous before she answered. "Hey you, I just got home and was looking through a few ads for apartments..."

He smiled as he made his way around the police cruiser he'd been driving. She'd been all about looking for a new place for them, wanting to find just _the_ perfect apartment. "Hey, just wanted to call and check in."

He didn't want to let on that he was worried because there was nothing to worry about; it was all just a strangely weird coincidence. Unfortunately for Flack, she picked up on the tone of his voice. "What's wrong?" She asked after a moment.

Flack sighed, rolling his eyes heavenward. "Nothing Em, just a tough case." He wasn't about to go into specifics while standing in the middle of the street.

"Oh and hearing my hot phone sex voice makes it all better?"

He laughed, thankful that she had made a joke just then. That had made everything seem a lot better in the span of five seconds. He knew she was safe, she was fine and there really was nothing to worry about. He felt some of the worry and tension leave his shoulders. "Of course. You staying at my place tonight?"

"Was thinking about it. Hey, do you know what's going on with Lindsay?"

"No not really. Hawkes mentioned he was picking up one of her shifts this week though." He looked over when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye, seeing Hawkes waving him over from the doorway that led into the building. "Hey, Em? I gotta go. Just stay at my place tonight, I'll be home late."

"Okay. Are you sure nothing's wrong?"

"Yeah, it's nothing."

"Okay, talk to you later."

He said goodbye to her and closed the phone, slipping it back into his pocket before walking over to where Hawkes stood.


	91. Chapter 91

_AN: Remember me? Yes it has been forever since I've updated and I really do apologize for the space between updates. It seems my muse has decided to take an extended leave of absence so writing this story has sort of stalled. I'm working on it though! I'm trying to re-watch as many episodes as I can get my hands on at the moment in the hopes that the muse makes her re-appearance. So enjoy this little bit! I'm hopefully going to get back into writing this story so it can (finally) be finished. Thanks for all the kind reviews and comments :)  
_

* * *

  
Flack made it a point to hurry home once his shift was over. It wasn't often that many cases got under his skin this badly, this was a new revelation. But he wanted to make sure everything was okay, that Emma was okay. He hurriedly unlocked the door and pushed it open, not surprised to find nearly all the lights on and the TV in his living room on loudly. Closing and locking the door behind him, he shrugged out of his jacket as he moved inside more. "Em?" He called out. Hopefully she wasn't asleep somewhere, although he would hope she would've turned off the TV at least if that was the case.

She wandered out from the bedroom a few moments later, dressed in one of his old t-shirts and a pair of sweatpants. "Hey sorry, I was on your computer checking my e-mail."

He wanted to breathe a sigh of relief but didn't want to draw her attention to him. The last thing he needed at that moment was her wanting to know what was wrong with him. He couldn't really reveal much about their Jane Doe case and didn't want to. For the time being, he wanted to forget about anything having to do with work. She was close enough that all Don had to do was reach out with one arm and pull her closer to him. He hugged her tightly and closed his eyes as he rested his chin on the top of her head. At least it hadn't been her. Because really, there was nothing worse in the world that he could imagine.

Emma laughed as he hugged her to him, pulling back enough to look up at him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine." He managed a smile as he let her go, moving around her to go into the kitchen for something to drink.

"Are you sure?" She asked as she followed him, leaning with her hip against the counter.

"Yeah." He found a beer in the fridge and made a mental note to make a trip to the store sometime in the near future. It was practically empty but it wasn't like he had a lot of time to do something as simple as grocery shopping. "Just this case today, kind of got to me."

She nodded her head although she didn't really understand. But there'd been a few cases throughout the years that had affected him in some way; she could always see it on his face and in his eyes. He didn't seem to want to offer any details and she thought it best not to ask. "Well go change and get comfortable, then come and finish watching this movie with me?"

Don smiled, thankful for the fact that she seemed to know not to ask questions. "Yeah sure. You find any places worth looking at?"

She'd disappeared into the living room, curling up one end of the couch with her legs pulled underneath her. "There were a couple. I didn't know if you'd want to maybe go this weekend and look at some places."

"I think I can swing that." He said over his shoulder as he walked back towards the bedroom to change. "Did you find them online or what?"

"Yeah, I got online and printed out some information. I'll call in the morning and set up appointments."

"Sounds good." And Don found that it did sound good. Looking at apartments with his girlfriend was normal and right then, all he wanted to do was something _normal.  
_

* * *

It was late the next night and Emma was just getting home to her apartment from an evening out with a couple of college friends who were in town on business. Don was at work and she didn't feel like staying at his place again. It felt like hers was getting neglected! It had been a nice night and nice to catch up with friends who had nothing to do with the NYPD in any shape or form. Two of the girls were married and the third was engaged to be married the next summer. One of them had a year old daughter, while the other two gushed over wanting to have kids. Emma had felt a bit out of the loop since she wasn't married nor was she engaged and she was pretty sure she wasn't hiding a child somewhere in her apartment. But it still had been nice to catch up with old friends, even if they did seem to be at different places than she was.

She'd kicked off her shoes muttering something about stupid high heels when her phone beeped. She'd had it off at dinner, not wanting to get interrupted while all of them gossiped. Of course no one ever seemed to call her unless she had the phone off or on silent, then it seemed like she became Miss Popular. Kicking her shoes off into a corner, she held her phone against her ear as she checked her voicemail. It was Danny. He was flying to Montana to see Lindsay.

Shaking her head with a smile on her face, she pushed a few buttons before listening to it ring. He was so head over heels for Lindsay it wasn't even funny. Not just anyone would drop everything to find a flight to Montana. Emma's call went to Danny's voicemail and she sighed as she sat on the end of her bed. "So I'm guessing you're busy or just not wanting to listen to me make fun of you for running off to Montana. But I'll check on your place when I get a chance and it's no problem, so quit your worrying. Give Lindsay a hug for me and tell her I'm thinking about her. But call me when you get a minute, let me know how things are going."

* * *

Don was sitting at his desk, a report ready to be filled out and finished. His shift was nearly halfway over but it seemed to be dragging by. He tapped a pen on the top of his desk, glancing around the precinct as people bustled in and out. Some were in uniform and others were obvious offenders being brought in for one thing or another. His mind kept drifting to his girlfriend though, wondering whether she was at his place or her own. She hadn't said where she was going to be staying that night and part of him was worried about that. He knew he was being stupid, he knew he was being ridiculous. For one thing, Emma could take care of herself and for another, there was really no way someone would be targeting her. He was pretty sure Emma had never made an enemy in her entire life.

It was all hitting a little too close to home and that was something Don wasn't used to. He'd always been pretty good at not bringing his work home with him. Now he wasn't so sure about that though, this was a little too hard to just ignore. Part of him thought about handing these unsolved cases over to one of the other detectives but he knew that he wouldn't and couldn't really do that. These were _his_ cases. He was just going to have to suck it up and quit thinking every victim looked like his girlfriend.

The phone on his desk rang, nearly scaring him right out of his skin. He grabbed it on the second ring, silently willing his heart to quit the race it was currently running in his chest. Least no one around seemed to notice him looking a bit freaked out. "Flack." He answered into the phone.

"Hey it's Hawkes. Can you come up to the lab when you get a chance?"

"Sure. I'll be right up. What's going on?"

"I think there may be a usable print from one of our Jane Does. I'm running it right now, but thought you might want to hang around for the results."

He let out a bit of a sigh. If they could find something that would link the victims to someone then maybe they could get the freak off the streets before anyone else fell victim to him. "Yeah I'll be there."

"Great, see you when you get here."

He hung up the phone and rubbed at his forehead before he stood up. The clock seemed to be moving slower than molasses that night but at least now he had something to do. Don figured he'd call Emma later.


	92. Chapter 92

_AN: Hi? Remember me:-x I'm so horrible. Writer's block sucks when another character totally takes over your brain. But! I am back. And here is the next chapter. And the next one is already in the works and I will hopefully have it up by the end of the week (at the latest). I do apologize for the delay in between chapters! And I'll try to get to people's comments soon as well but thanks for sticking around :) _

* * *

"Oh it's perfect." 

Those were the first words out of her mouth as soon as the three of them stepped inside. Part of Emma wanted to twirl and dance around just because it _was_ pretty much near perfect. Of course she didn't do that because she figured it might scare off the realtor showing her around different apartments in her and Don's price range. Plus she was with Danny and he laughed at her enough as it was so no need to scare both of them off! But still, it was pretty tempting.

Emma had wanted Don to come with her to see a few places but had been working more hours than usual it seemed. So she'd asked around and found the only person free was Danny, who'd only been back in New York for two days since his jaunt to Montana. She might have had some ulterior motives in asking him, hoping to get some good dirt out of him but she didn't come right out and say that. But Lindsay wasn't talking (yet) and so far Danny hadn't offered any details.

Danny just laughed to himself as the realtor immediately went into her spiel, dragging Emma from room to room in the spacious apartment. He really had no idea so much went into buying an apartment, but then again he'd never lived with a girlfriend and he'd only found his apartment by sheer luck. It was empty and ready to be moved in when he found it and the rent wasn't half bad. That seemed perfect to him. But so far, he'd been with Emma to see two apartments already and he knew more were on the list. This one was pretty nice though, even he could admit that. Plus Emma had already fallen head over heels in love with it so it looked like a done deal and they'd only been inside maybe five minutes.

The realtor left them alone to take some phone calls and as soon as she'd disappeared, Emma turned towards him. "So? What do you think? Do you like it?"

"Which question do I answer first?" He said a little teasingly. "I do like it, Em. It's really nice. It's in a good part of town and it's big enough for the two of you."

She smiled brightly and turned a full circle in the living room. "I love the view. And the windows! I've always hated that about mine, not enough natural light." She paused and chewed on her bottom lip for a moment before asking, "Do you think Don will like it?"

"Yeah I think so. Why not bring him by to have a look at it? I mean, it couldn't hurt. But I hate to tell you, he'd probably live in a box if it meant living with you though."

She laughed, swatting at his shoulder. "I have an idea!" She started digging around in her purse and eventually produced her cell phone. "I'll take some pictures and send them to him. I'm just afraid if we wait too long that someone will snatch it up, you know?"

"I never thought of that."

She smiled and motioned for him to follow her. "C'mon before the realtor comes back. I'll go ahead and do it now."

He laughed but followed her as she took a few pictures of the view from the living room and then went down the hallway towards the two bedrooms on that end. "And I know you're itching to ask for details and want to know if anything happened but no, nothing happened." He said as he moved out of her way as she snapped a picture.

"You lasted longer than I thought you would," She said over her shoulder as she entered the first bedroom. "Linds kept telling me she pleaded the fifth, which I told her wasn't fair since she's a cop. But here I didn't even have to ask you!"

He grinned, leaning against the doorframe. "I know. But I was just waiting for you to pounce."

"So did you all at least talk?"

"She was pretty wiped out from the trial and from testifying but we did a little. We're just going to see how things go. And you know, that's fine by me. I don't want to push her too far or anything as it is."

Emma gave him a grin, "because you like her.."

"Shut up."

"I will not!" She snapped one last picture before pushing him back towards the living room. "But I'm sure she was glad that you were there for moral support, you know? I could tell she was nervous and upset when she came to ask if I'd look after her place."

"Yeah. I'm glad I went." He shrugged, looking just a little uncomfortable. "So can we get out of here? I'm starving and some of us have to work tonight."

Emma laughed but nodded. "Yep, let's blow this popsicle stand and go get you some food before you waste away Messer."

* * *

"So it's nice?"

"Better then nice. Emma just about put a down payment on the place."

Don laughed, "Yeah her message with the pictures had enough exclamation points that I could tell that she loved it."

Danny pushed his glasses up his nose as he leaned against his friend's desk. "She was really excited. Don't get me wrong, the other places were decent but most were small, even by New York standards."

He nodded as he scribbled a couple of notes down on a piece of paper, not wanting to forget anything. "She said she still wanted me to take a look at it in person so we may go do that tomorrow since I'm off."

"You look beat man, no offense."

Don smiled some but nodded his head. He _felt_ like he'd been dragged through the streets behind a garbage truck. "I know. Been working too damn much."

"I saw Hawkes' report up in the lab. It really is uncanny how much they_do_ look like her. Even Mac said so."

"I thought it was just me until Hawkes noticed with the first vic. I don't know but it's weird. So far, nothing's been jumping out besides their appearances. So I don't think Em's a target, per say. But I'm not taking any chances."

Danny eyed him momentarily before asking, "Does she know?"

"What? She knows there have been a few cases that have bugged me, so that's no surprise. Does she know the victims all bear an uncanny resemblance to her? No." Don shook his head. "I'm not going to tell her if I don't have to. Hell, you know how she was after that dumbass got a hold of her. She'd barely leave her apartment. Always looking over her shoulder. I don't want her to have to go through something like that again if I can help it."

He sighed but he understood where Don was coming from. He didn't want to scare Emma prematurely, plus there was a chance that none of this had a thing to do with Emma. But Danny knew it was an unspoken rule that they'd all be keeping an eye out for any sort of pattern or anything that led them in that direction. He just hoped that it had nothing to do with her. It was bad enough that things like this were happening to other people but if it was someone _he_ knew then it changed the whole game.

* * *

Don opened the door to his apartment, finding the main room dark. He knew Emma was there though, she said she was going to stay over so they could get up to go take a look at the apartment she'd all but fallen in love with. Sighing some and running a hand over his tired face, he kicked the door closed and flipped the lock. He found her in the bedroom, curled up under the comforter with a book in her hand. She looked up when she saw movement and smiled at him, sitting up as she closed the book. "Hey you, I was wondering where you were."

He smiled at her as he started to peel off the layers of work clothes he wore. "Sorry, I was talking to Danny. I thought you'd be asleep by now."

She shook her head as she settled back against the pillow, watching as he changed out of his clothes. "Not too tired yet. I got to reading this book and got sucked in. How's Danny?"

"Good. We talked about going to the gym this weekend." He shrugged, climbing onto the bed next to her. With a sigh, Don dropped down onto the mattress. "Man I am _tired_. What time do we have to get up to go look at that place?"

"I said nine. Figured that was early enough but not so early that you'd be really grumpy." Emma laughed softly, leaning down to kiss his temple gently. "I'm going to go in and work a few hours in the afternoon, cover for Marianne for a bit."

"Nine's good." Rolling onto his side, he leaned up on his elbow as she picked up the book she'd been reading. "So you think I'm going to like this place as much as you do?"

"Mmhm." She flipped through the page she'd been on when he came in. "I think you will. It's pretty much perfect for the both of us."

"Alright. I'll take your word for it."

* * *

He had to admit that Emma had great taste when it came to real estate. He'd been a little worried, if only for the fact that he was the type of person who definitely had to see things before just jumping in to them. But Emma had been so excited, she nearly bounced out of the apartment and out onto the sidewalk the next morning. But once they were at the new place and being led through by the realtor, Don had to admit that his girlfriend knew what she was doing. It _was_ perfect for the two of them. Not too big, not too small. Plenty of room where they could get away from each other if they wanted, but also plenty of room for all of the things both of them owned. It wasn't too far from where either of them worked, which was always a perk when he had the habit of waking up late at times and hated having to rush out the door. The big thing about the apartment as he walked around, poking his head into the first bedroom before looking in the other one, was that he could see them living there. It was easy enough to imagine them waking up and sleeping there. And it was even easy to imagine them going as far as to raise a family there.

Don smiled when he felt her arms wind their way around his waist, hearing Emma laugh as she struggled to rest her chin on his shoulder. "So what'd you think?" She asked as she looked around what would be the master bedroom.

"I like it." He replied as he turned his head to look back at her. "I really do. I can see us living here for sure."

"So I did good?"

He laughed, "You did really good Em. It's pretty much near perfect."

After Don visited the new apartment for the first time, it was like things took off at warp speed for the both of them. Emma was picking up a few photography jobs here and there, mostly parties and weddings, while still working some hours at the gallery. Don was working more shifts it seemed but at least he wasn't nearly going crazy with cases that included women who looked like his girlfriend. Those had stopped for the time being but he secretly hoped it had stopped for good, that way the worry wouldn't come back.

In the middle of al the working the both of them were doing, they found a little time to actually start moving into the new apartment. They'd been lucky to get the place, since it was a popular piece of real estate but once it was theirs it was almost hard for Emma not to just start moving in right away. But they'd taken their time, paying the first month's rent and the security deposit, then waiting a few days before starting to move anything. The first thing to move into the new place was mostly just boxes full of essentials that Emma had brought from her place. Don was a little slower in moving some of his things just because he worked so much. But they'd get it done eventually, both still had other leases they needed to get out of as it was.


	93. Chapter 93

A month in the new apartment found Emma there mostly on her own. Most of the big things had been moved in along with things neither of them could live without. Other stuff they had duplicates of or knew they didn't want anymore either went to Goodwill or their respective parents. All in all though, they were pretty much settled. It was nice to be in _their_ place too, completely different from living separately on their own. But Emma enjoyed being able to call it their place, it made everything in their relationship just a little more real.

That morning found her running around, a bit like a chicken with its head cut off, but she was running late and needed to get out of the apartment _right_then. Sometimes waking up late could really screw a person up but Emma had slept right through her alarm and had only woken up when Don called to see if she was awake. It was tempting to just call in and lie around all day but she just couldn't do it. So being late was the only option left, which is why she ran out of the apartment and turned, only to find the door still wide open. Grumbling to herself, she hurried back to close it and make sure it was locked before she was off down the hall again.

Her phone rang once she was on the street level and she paused in her rush to pull it from her bag. "Yeah?" She answered once she had it open and was walking again. The sidewalk was full of people going every which direction so it made it a little hard to talk and walk at the same time.

"Hey, you finally off to work?"

"Hey! Yeah I am. I can not believe I slept through my alarm. What are you doing? I thought you had some big...case or whatever." Danny had referenced a few things the last time she'd talked to him and Don had as well, although neither would go into too much detail, which was totally understandable.

"I do, I do. We're working on getting some intel together before anything goes down." Don laughed suddenly, "and I realize how James Bond that kind of sounds."

"Well, spies are hot." She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk as not to get run over by a guy at least a whole foot taller than her. "And what is with people today? I've almost gotten run over five times now."

"I don't know Em. You know how the city can be though."

She did but that didn't meant she liked it all of the time. "So will you be home late?"

"Probably. I'll call you though, okay?"

"Well, what if I brought you dinner on my way home? That way you can work and hey, you still get to see my awesome self." She cradled the phone against her shoulder as she reached the subway station, standing off to the side as not to get in the way of people going in and out.

He laughed into the phone. "You know, that's not a bad idea. Tell you what; give me a call when you're on your way just in case something comes up between now and then."

"I thought it was a damn good idea. But okay, I'll call you." Emma was off the phone a few seconds later and heading down into the subway to catch the train. Hopefully the day would be turning around for the better, even though going back home was still sounding pretty good.

* * *

He rubbed the back of his neck where a crick was forming and had been most of the morning. It was enough to just be annoying but he thought if he ignored it, he'd at least be able to concentrate on his work better. He'd been running up and down to the lab most of the afternoon to check on things he needed to add to reports or to the notebook he carried around in his pocket constantly. Some of the time it was to just stand around with Danny and talk for a few quick seconds, but other than that it was_work_.

The only thing that put a smile on his face that day was seeing his girlfriend wander into the precinct, carrying a bag he knew was holding some of the best Chinese food you could get in New York City. In a day filled with some of the worst things in the world, it was nice to see a smiling, familiar face that he felt like he hadn't seen in quite some time. Working like he did didn't leave much time for anything else. She held up the bag with a grin, "I come bearing lots of good food."

"Oh thank goodness." He laughed as he stood up. "C'mon, we'll go find some place to eat before my phone rings again."

"Are you too busy? I didn't want to interrupt anything." Of course, Don hadn't mentioned anything was going on when she'd called once she was done at work. But things sometimes tended to change at the last minute, especially with him.

"Nah we're good for now." He said as he placed a hand on her lower back and walked with her towards a back room that was essentially a break room and was pretty quiet, set away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the precinct. "We're busy but you have an idea of what it's like. How was work?"

"It was pretty good. Long day. It probably didn't help that I was late this morning." She set the bag down on the table before reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck as she leaned up on her tip toes. "And hi."

Don laughed as he leaned down to kiss her, "Hey you. We should do things like this way more often."

"I agree. Although..." She pulled back, looking around the room they were in, "I would much rather have dinner at home than hang here with a bunch of police detectives and officers. No offense, of course."

"Hey I don't know this is pretty damn romantic for the NYPD." He pretended to be insulted but cracked a grin before motioning for her to sit down, "so what'd you bring?"

She sat down, grabbing the bag she brought with her and opening it up. "I brought kung pao chicken and um, rice and egg rolls. I figured we could share the chicken then I can take whatever's left, if anything, home."

He nodded; grabbing them a couple of soda's from the lone vending machine. "Sounds good to me. Of course, if there's anything left we might have to offer it to some of the other guys."

"Oh yeah, they can have it if they want it. The fridge is sort of full of lots of other things as it is." She smiled up at him as he handed her the soda, "so how's your day been?"

He sat down and it wasn't too long before the two of them were starting in on the food. "Long. There's just a lot going on right now, couple of different cases all hitting a head right at the same time. It'd be nice to just take a break. But, that won't be happening for awhile."

Emma nodded as she took a bite of the chicken she'd ordered. "Yeah I know. And when the time comes, we're _so _taking a vacation."

"That sounds good to me. I think I'll need it sooner rather than later." They were all overworked as it was and Don was beginning to feel the affects but it wasn't like he was going to quit for anything. It was too engrained in him. It wasn't too long before his cell phone was ringing and he was hurriedly standing up, glancing at her apologetically. He leaned over, kissing her forehead, "I gotta go. Take this stuff home and I'll see you later?"

"Sure, of course." She waved him off with a smile. "I'll see you when you get home."

He nodded, glancing at her over his shoulder as he hurried out towards th efront of the precinct, pressing his phone to his ear as it rang again.


	94. Chapter 94

The worst thing about working in an art gallery was that people sometimes expected a person to know every little detail about things. There were important details that Emma knew right off hand, the general things that most people would know by looking it up. But other minuscule details didn't tend to stay in her mind too long. Which is why she was beginning to wish the floor would open up and swallow her whole when Monday morning came around. It had been another one of those mornings where she woke up to an empty apartment and realized she'd slept through her alarm _again_. Emma was contemplating throwing it out the window but didn't want to get thrown in jail for murder by alarm clock. From the moment she stepped into work, the day hadn't gotten much better. Now she was alone and listening to a guy ramble on incessantly about a painting he seemed interested in.

He was a pretty non-descript looking guy. Tall with dark hair, dark eyes surrounded by wire-rimmed glasses. He was dressed well-enough in a simple suit but that was par for the course. And while the guy was nice enough, Emma was just annoyed that the guy was taking up all of her time. It wasn't too often she got customers like that, most were content to be on their own and ask questions when needed. Most didn't want to stand around and have a long conversation with her. Finally though, the phone rang and since she was alone in the gallery she excused herself from the guy and hurried towards the phone. She managed to grab it just as it started to ring for a third time and was glad to find that it wasn't another rambley customer, but rather that it was Stella.

"Are you busy?" She asked.

"Not really, there's a guy in here that I swear is hitting on me by asking random details about a painting. But no, not busy." Emma turned, leaning over the counter to see if she could see the guy but he was out of her range of vision for the moment.

Stella laughed, "Sounds like fun."

"Oh yes, tons. What's going on?" She asked as she leaned against the counter.

"Well Hawkes' birthday is coming up and I was trying to get everyone together, which you know is easier said than done. So I was thinking we'd all go out for drinks after one of his shifts, you think that'd work?"

"Sure! That'd probably be the easiest thing. And people who have late shifts or whatever could drop in, say hi and all that. When are you planning on doing it?"

"Next week sometime. I'll let you know the day because you know you're coming or else."

Emma laughed, catching a glimpse of the guy walking around but he didn't seem to be watching the paintings and other things. He seemed to be watching _her_. "Of course I'll be there! It's been too long since we all hung out," She said into the phone. "Listen Stel, I've gotta get back to work. Just call and let me know and I'll be there."

"Sure thing, I'll call when I know more."

The two said their goodbye's and Emma hung up the phone just as the man approached the counter. He gave her a smile that was intended to be friendly, "I'm still undecided on that painting. Do you have a business card I could take while I think about it?"

"Sure." It would be a good sale if the guy was legit so she did what any good worker would do and found a business card, sliding it across the counter to him. "Just give us a call if you need any other help."

He gave her a smile and left not too long after that. And while Emma liked being busy and liked working, sometimes it was nice not to have some annoying and slightly creepy guy in front of her.

* * *

She was getting home just as it was starting to get dark. It was a little depressing to walk inside the empty apartment but she'd already heard from Don who was most likely going to be late that night. It seemed like his shifts got longer and longer each time but Emma had sadly gotten used to it. She sighed and laid her things down on the couch as she passed, flipping on a few more lights as she walked. The answering machine was blinking with a message so she pressed the 'play' button and turned up the volume as she went to change out of her work clothes. It was from her mother and she sighed, knowing she needed to call her back. It'd been awhile since the two of them had really gotten to talk. With how busy her and Don both had been it was no surprise. Her mom rambled on for about five minutes about her cousins and other relatives before she finally insisted Emma call her back sometime to let her know she hadn't fallen off the face of the earth. She laughed as the message ended and shook her head as she finished changing. Her mom was pretty crazy sometimes but she supposed that's where she got it from.

On her way back to the kitchen, she grabbed her phone and decided to put a call into Linda while she fixed something for dinner. Of course the voicemail on her mom's end picked up so she just left a message, figuring she would just catch up with her later. With a sigh, Emma went about heating up leftovers to eat. Sometimes being the girlfriend of a cop meant a very lonely existence sometimes. It wasn't usually so bad but after awhile, it just got _lonely_ and boring to be on her own. Sure she could've called around to see if anyone was up for hanging out but even that didn't sound like fun. As the microwave beeped and indicated that her food was done, she grabbed the plate from inside and went into the living room to sit on the couch. Flipping on the TV, she changed the channel a few times before settling on the news.

She was mid-bite when her cell phone started ringing. With a groan, Emma got up and went to find it. Grabbing it off the counter, she opened it and pressed it against her ear. "Hello?"

"Hey you."

She smiled, much happier to be hearing from him. It was better than nothing. "Hey yourself. How's it going?"

Don let out long sigh and she could hear him doing what sounded like walking. "Sorry, trying to find some place more quiet. It's pretty crazy down here. Did you just get home?"

"Yeah a little bit ago actually. I'm just eating dinner and trying to find something on TV. What's wrong?"

"I don't know, just been a really long day. I'm ready for it to be over with, let's put it like that." It was obvious from his voice that he was exhausted and stressed out about something.

She sighed softly, "I'm sorry. Is it still that same case you've been on for awhile?"

"Yeah. It's just...they keep adding up and there's nothing that the CSI's are finding that leads us anywhere." Don let out a long breath, "Em they sorta all look like you and it's really beginning to worry me."

"Me?" That was one thing that he hadn't told her before. She'd known from reading the papers and hearing from Don and Danny that most of the victims were women but she hadn't known about the resemblance to _her_. "Are you sure?"

He laughed shortly, "Yeah believe me I'm sure. It's a little strange to walk in to a crime scene and find a vic that looks like your girlfriend. I didn't want to worry you at first, which is why I didn't mention it but it's getting to be too damn much."

"Do you think it has something to do with me?" Of course she was sitting there wracking her brain and trying to think of anything that might stick out in her mind but there was nothing. Emma didn't have many enemies, if any at all. Plus if she _did_, she would hope that wouldn't set someone off so much that they'd go around killing other people that looked like her.

"Honestly? I have no idea. I don't think so. You know, I thought I was going pretty crazy when I started seeing female vic's that looked like you. That was until Hawkes saw one and then Danny saw it too, both of them mentioned that they looked like you. I don't know but I guess my point is to just watch yourself from now on, okay?"

Emma was chewing on her bottom lip, staring down at the plate of food that looked really un-appetizing at that moment. She nodded her head even though they wee on the phone and he couldn't see her. "Yeah. I mean, of course I will. You know I'm paranoid enough as it is."

He chuckled, a deep resounding, warm sound that came over the line. "You are _not_. I've gotta get back but I guess...I just thought you should know what I'm up against. Let me finish up here and then I'm going to head home and crash for more than a couple hours. We'll talk then?"

"Sure. Of course."

"You're going to worry and I know that but try not to, okay? Like I said, this most likely doesn't have anything to do with you specifically."

She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I know, I know. But still, it's a little freaky."

"Believe me, I know. I'll give you a call when I'm on my way home, okay?"

"Alright. Be careful?"

"Always."


	95. Chapter 95

_AN: So there really is no excuse for leaving this story hanging like I have so I apologize so much! But I think I am back this time, there's just some writer's block going on and I've had a hard time getting back into Emma's head. so sorry about the wait between chapters! I'll be away this weekend but I'm hoping to jump right back into writing the next chapter when I get back! Thanks so much!_

* * *

It was hard to sit at home and wait. Waiting seemed to make the time just go by that much slower. Every noise the building made, every noise outside the windows made her antsy and jumpy. And really, in the back of her mind, Emma knew there was no need to be so damn nervous. In the grand scheme of it all, she had less of a chance of some serial killer findng her. It just worried her that Don hadn't told her until now. Now it seemed like it was a big enough deal that he had thought to tell her. She sat on the couch, watching something on the tv before it annoyed her and she turned it off. Then she moved to clean up the kitchen. Plates, glasses and other dishes sat in the sink and on the counter. Both of them had been running around a bit like crazy people for a few days so everything else had gone straight to the backburner. Of course, cleaning lasted about five minutes before she got too antsy to _not_ drop something. So, back to the couch it was. Emma watched the clock like a hawk, listening for any sign of Don coming home.

When she heard the key in the door, Emma bolted off the couch and unlocked the door before Don could even get the lock turned. He blinked in surprise when he saw her but managed a small smile as she stepped back to let him in. "You look like you've been worrying," He said as he bent down to kiss her softly. Sometimes the very best thing about coming home was getting to see her and touch her.

"I have not," she protested although she knew she had been. There was just no stopping her mind from going through every horrible scenario that existed.

"Liar." He laughed as he shrugged out of his jacket, watching as she stayed pretty close to his side. Once Don was out of his jacket, he reached up to loosen his tie before turning towards her. One of his arms wound their way around her, tugging her even closer. "Quit worrying. You're not next or whatever is running through your head."

She let out a sigh, hugging him tightly, closing her eyes as she leaned against him. "It's easy for you to say that..."

"What, you don't believe me?" He asked as he rested his chin on the top of her head.

"It's not that. It's just...everything running through my head ends with me in a gutter somewhere," She mumbled against his chest.

Don shook his head. Sometimes his girlfriend could over-react with the best of them. "That's not going to happen. It could all be a coincidence. You're not the only brunette running around Manhattan anyway. It's just been a little disconcerting. Should you be hiding in the bedroom in the closet? No. Should you just watch your surroundings, like you do anyway? Yeah probably."

She nodded as she looked up at him. "I figured you'd like it if I hid in the bedroom though."

"I would, yes. That sounds good to me," He laughed, pressing a kiss against her mouth.

Emma smiled as she gave him another squeeze before pulling back from him. She hadn't ever really been the type of girl that was all clingy with her boyfriend, there was no point in starting now. "I know you don't want to talk about it," She started.

He shook his head, motioning for her to follow him as he went to change out of his work clothes. "It's not that. Not really, at least. It's just weird when they've looked so much like you." He let out a sigh as he sat on the edge of the bed, feeling so tired all of a sudden. "I didn't want to freak you out but I just want you to be aware. We're looking into it, the person is bound to slip up sooner or later. They always do."

"How often has the person been doing...whatever it is they've been doing?" She asked from the doorway.

"No real pattern that we can find. It's just sort of random. They're just all about your height and build, brunette, same eye color." Don gave her a small smile, "besides that I can't go into too much other detail."

She knew that and even though she was curious for other details, Emma didn't really want to know. More than that she didn't _need _to know anything else. It was something that if she knew more about, it would just freak her out that much more. Don stood up long enough to grab her arm, tugging her towards him until he could wrap his arms around her. "You're going to worry anyway and I know that. But try not to, okay? There's no reason why you should let this affect your day to day life. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

She sighed and leaned into him, knowing he was right. It was just really hard to turn her brain off.

* * *

She tried to go on with her life as normally as possible. There was no reason why she shouldn't, right? It wasn't like anyone was following her and it wasn't like anything pointed towards her. In the end, it wasn't like Emma had a big red target painted on her back. All of that didn't make her feel any better though. She found herself being paranoid more than she already was. It was probably like how she acted back when the DJ Pratt situation happened. She tried not to let any of her friends see it though, especially Don. The only thing that seemed to keep her mind off of everything was making her way to Central Park and losing herself in everything with her camera. It was nice, quiet for the most part and least the weather usually cooperated.

It was a slightly warm afternoon, the sun hiding behind some low hanging clouds when Emma found herself sitting on one of the many park benches, eating lunch from one of the vendors hanging around. Her camera was sitting beside her, her bag with everything else lying near her feet. It was just a nice day to be outside and even better since she didn't have to work that day. Her phone ringing from inside her bag startled her out of her thoughts. Setting her sandwich in her lap, Emma had to be careful not to turn over the sandwich or her drink or anything else while she grabbed the bag. The phone was on its third ring by the time she finally got a hold of it, pressing the "talk" button once she had it in her hand. "Hello?"

"Do you know how long it has been since you hung out with me?"

She couldn't help the laugh that bubbled through at the sound of Danny on the other end of the phone. "I'm sorry, I didn't know it had been so long...has it really been _that_ long?" She was trying to think but it was hard, it couldn't have been that long! There for awhile it seemed like she'd seen more of Danny than her boyfriend but she guessed that it had been quite some time.

"It has. I'm hurt. I mean, I know you're busy with your boyfriend and your job but I should be near the top of the list!" He let out a laugh after a moment, "I'm just kiddin'. How are ya?"

"Not too bad, I'm eating lunch at the moment. How are you? I know it's been awhile since I've seen you." She'd gone back to picking at the leftovers of her sandwich.

"Not bad, not bad. Work's eating me alive but that's nothing new. Got the afternoon off, actually." He asked, "So where are you?"

"Central Park. I wanted to just hang out," Emma replied with a shrug.

"Meet me near the zoo in about twenty minutes? We'll go find some trouble to get into."

She grinned even though he couldn't see her. "What would your girlfriend think? You might try to take advantage of me!"

He snorted, "She won't mind and I don't think you'd let me take advantage of you anyway. I just want to hang out!"

"Mmhm. I know what_hanging out_ means Messer." She stood up, gathering up her leftover food to throw away in a nearby trash can. "I'm just kidding, I'll meet you over there. Don't be late."

"I'm never late Lewis," He said sounding as if she'd just insulted his mother.

Laughing, Emma moved to grab the rest of her things. "Whatever. I'll see you in about twenty?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'll see you then. You better not be late!"

* * *

He rocked back on his heels, looking around as people moved all around him. Some had little kids with them, heading in towards the main part of the zoo. Others were in pairs or groups, moving in the same direction. He was trying to keep an eye out for Emma, waiting to spot her in the crowd. It shouldn't have been that hard considering there weren't that many people wandering around. Danny sighed, glancing at his watch beforep ushing his glasses further up his nose. She was late. He couldn't figure out _how_ she was late since she had been in the park before him anyway. It was probably a pretty good walk from whereever she had been but he still figured she'd be there before him.

Just when he was about to call her again, she appeared in the crowd. She gave him a sort of sheepish smile as she walked up to him. "I am so sorry, I lost track of time on my way over."

He laughed, shaking his head. "It's alright. I thought you'd beat me here though!"

"Me too! But yeah, got totally distracted." She sighed, pushing her hair out of her face. "You know, I've been here for years and I don't know if I've been all through the park in all that time."

"So you got lost?" Danny asked.

She gave him a look before she reached out, landing a punch in his arm. "No! I didn't get lost. I just got really distracted you ass."

He laughed as he swung an arm around her shoulders, pulling her with him as he started to walk. "C'mon. We'll go find something to get into."

The two of them were quiet as they made their way through the mid-afternoon light. It always baffled Emma that the park was sitting right in the middle of such a busy, bustling city yet it was as quiet as if they were out in the wilderness somewhere. It was one of her favorite places to visit, even if she hadn't been all the way around it yet in all of her time there. But it was nice to just stroll and it was nice enough weather-wise that she felt like she could actually do some thinking.

"So Flack tell you about the case he's been worrying about?" Danny asked after a long moment of silence.

She nodded as she ducked her head down, looking down at her shoes as they walked. "Yeah he mentioned it. And you know, I've known him for so long and I've seen him at his worst but...I've never seen him look so freaked out Danny."

"This has hit him pretty hard. But you know that it has nothing to do with you, right?"

"I know. It's just really freaky to see him so worried about it." It was strange to watch someone who could be so stoic and so stern look so scared when it came to something like this case. It was beginning to take over Don's life. It was also starting to take over Emma's, even though in her mind she knew there was nothing connecting her to whoever was killing women who just so happened to share a few traits with her. It wasn't like she was the only brunette in Manhattan or in the whole state of New York. But it was hard not to look over her shoulder every chance she got.

"They've been pretty...gruesome scenes," Danny admitted. He'd seen just about everything as a CSI but even he found that there were some things that got to him more than others. "I didn't believe him at first, you know. It just seemed strange that these victims would look like you and then I worked on one and man Em, she did look a lot like you. It was unbelieveable and I mean, yeah there were differences but I could see where he was coming from."

Emma sighed as she looked over at him. "So you don't think I'm like...next or something, right?"

The shake of his head was immediate and definitive. "I don't. Nothing we've looked at says you're next. Does that mean you should go wandering around back alley's at night? Well, probably not but you shouldn't do that anyway. I wouldn't be overly cautious just...watch your back like normal."

She nodded as they kept walking, making their way under a couple of full blossoming trees. It was hard to turn her brain off from everything even though she knew it was ridiculous to worry about such things. Sure, it was a scary situation. But there was no need to stop living her life the way she had been. But even Emma couldn't help but glance over her shoulder as they walked. Some things never really changed.


	96. Chapter 96

"So I was thinking we should all get together, grab something to eat one of these nights."

Emma gave Danny a smile as they reached the point where they were going to part from one another. She needed to head home and he was headed for a shift. "Seems like Stella mentioned that to me last time I talked to her. I'd really like to. How long's it been since we all got together the last time?"

He laughed as he zipped up his jacket, shrugging a shoulder as they walked towards where his motorcycle as parked. "I don't...really know actually. I'm guessing awhile. Talk to Flack though, we'll figure out something."

"You just want to go get him drunk." She grinned at him, "I'll call you later. This has been nice though Messer."

He gave her a grin of his own as he climbed onto his bike, "And you say I never take you out."

She snorted, waving at him as he started the bike. "Go home to your_girlfriend _Danny."

Danny laughed, giving her one last wave as he pulled out into traffic and disappeared in the sea of taxis, cars and buses. She sighed and switched her bag to her other shoulder, starting for home in the other direction. It was a pretty good walk but it was still early and still fairly warm so Emma didn't think twice about walking. She left a voicemail for Don on her way, knowing he would be finishing up his shift hopefully soon. It had been a nice day, a nice way to spend the afternoon without having to worry about anything else. In the end, she knew it was stupid to be worrying something that didn't affect her. The city was big and Emma was still a small fish in a big pond.

* * *

He was standing in the kitchen trying to decide whether to actually cook something or heat up something in the fridge or do what they did the most often: order in. It was tempting to pick up the phone and dial one of the places Don knew by heart but he didn't, instead choosing to look through the fridge. He glanced up a bit when he heard the front door open, smiling when he saw Emma coming in. "Hey I was wondering where you were," He said as he bent back down.

"Sorry, I ended up taking the train part of the way and it was running behind. I thought you'd still be at work?" She set her things down on the floor, walking into the kitchen behind him.

"Finished on time. For once." He gave her a grin over his shoulder, pulling out a few containers and setting them on the counter. "So how was Danny?"

Emma leaned up to kiss him before moving around him to grab something to drink. "Good. We had fun wandering around Central Park. How was your day?"

"Not too bad. Same old thing, just a new day. Want something to eat?"

"Sure." She laughed as she pulled herself up onto the counter, swinging her legs back and forth some. "We're so domesticated!"

Don gave her a strange look as he put a bowl of soup they'd had earlier in the week into the microwave. "We are?"

"Uh huh," She said with a nod of her head. Reaching up, she pushed her hair back out of her face as it fell forward. "Well, we are tonight at least. It's not often I come home and find you heating up leftovers."

"That's probably because we order out a lot Em." He laughed as he came to stand in front of her, his hands sliding along her legs as he leaned in towards her. "I think we both agree that neither of us will ever be master chefs."

She snorted only because it was painfully true. Half the time she could barely get a bag of popcorn right. Usually it ended with her darting to open a window before it set off the smoke alarms. "You're right. We have more leftovers from Chinese take-out places than we do food we've cooked. Well, except for that soup you're heating up. That's your mom's, of course."

He grinned as he leaned in far enough to kiss her, nodding as he pulled back. "We might be really screwed if my mom didn't bring food over every time she's in the area."

"We'd just starve!" She said dramatically as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Yeah, there's just a huge shortage of food in this city." He pulled back from her as the microwave beeped, walking over to open the door. "Speaking of parent's, your mom left a message on the machine saying to give her a call when you got a chance."

"I don't know why she doesn't just call my cell phone..." Emma slid down off of the counter and walked over to where her stuff was, picking up her bag and digging through it. Her cell phone was, of course, at the bottom of everything but at least she hadn't missed a call. "I'll call her later on though."

"It didn't sound like it was anything emergent." He walked into the living room, looking to be juggling a bowl along with a beer in his hand, giving her a grin as he passed by her. "I think there's a game on, wanna watch?"

She laughed, shaking her head as she went into the kitchen. "Yeah I'll be there in a minute."

Ah, domesticated bliss.

* * *

The next morning dawned bright and early for Emma. She left Don asleep in bed and hurried to get out the door on time, having to open the gallery on her own that morning. It wasn't something she did a lot of the time, especially considering she wasn't really a morning person. At least, she wasn't a morning person unless it involved a lot of caffeine. She was sitting in the front of the shop, a cup of coffee sitting next to the paperwork she was looking over when the chime above the door rang. Looking up, Emma was surprised to see the guy from a few days before wandering in. The only reason she remembered him was because of the glasses he were, plus it didn't help that he seemed to be watching her the entire time he had been in there. But a customer was a customer. Emma gave him a smile as she slipped down from her seat. "Back again, huh?" 

He smiled at her, nodding as he glanced around at the brightly lit shop. "Sure am. My girlfriend wanted me to come back and take a look at a couple of things."

Ah, so at least he had a girlfriend so it wasn't like he was trying to pick her up. That was good. Plus, he was a friendly enough guy. "Sure thing. Anything in particular you want to see again?" She asked as she walked around the small counter.

"I know there was one I had my eye on the last time, I think it was near the back."

"Sure. Come on back, we'll take a look. Does your girlfriend want something for a certain room or anything?" Emma led him towards the back where a few other things were located, listening as the man babbled on about the living room his girlfriend wanted to decorate. As the man looked through a few paintings hanging on the wall, she stepped back to let him look on his own. "Well, take a look around and let me know if you need help on anything. I'll just be up front."

He smiled at her again, nodding as he looked back at the wall they were in front of. "Of course, I'm sure you've got other things to do. I'll yell though if I need you."

She nodded and went back to where she'd been sitting, glancing up a few times to see where the man was at. There was a lot of paper work to deal with but it was hard to keep her concentration on it when some slightly weird guy was wandering around. Looking up as she heard footsteps, she offered a smile at him. "See anything?" Emma asked.

"I called my girlfriend; she wants to take a look later today. Are you here all day?"

"Yeah should be," She nodded. "Just have her come in and either I or one of the other girls can show her what you've been looking at."

"Great, thanks. I'll have her stop by." He gave a departing wave as he left. Once he had gone, Emma let out the breath she wasn't aware she'd been holding. There was something about the guy. Not necessarily creepy or bad but she just felt like she was being watched now.

Shaking her head, Emma went back to the paperwork in front of her. Reports needed to be done and sent off but she couldn't deny how happy she was when the new girl, a college aged girl majoring in Art History at one of the city's universities, showed up just after lunch.


	97. Chapter 97

The phone ringing was distracting him, although it wasn't _his_ phone ringing. With a sigh, Don pushed himself up and out of bed with a groan. It felt like he'd done nothing but work for the past couple of weeks straight, which wasn't too far from the truth really. He'd woken that morning long enough to listen as Emma rushed out the door grumbling something about being late again but then he'd gone back to sleep, thankful that he had the whole day off. Sure there were things he could be doing but sleep sounded like it was pretty productive. But of course his sleep was interrupted by the phone that wasn't his. Rubbing a hand over his face, he yawned as he moved around the apartment trying to find Emma's phone. She never left without it, always said that it was too apart of her life to be without it. Finding it in the living room, he could only shake his head. Sometimes his girlfriend was too scatter brained for her own good. 

The phone stopped ringing just as he picked it up, causing him to sigh loudly before he wandered back towards the bedroom. It was just Emma's mom, who had gotten in the habit of calling about once every other week "just to check in". He tossed the phone onto the nightstand where his own phone was currently charging. So much for sleeping in, Don was going to have to run Emma's phone to her so she wouldn't feel lost the rest of the day. But at least it would give him an excuse to go see her.

* * *

He loved his job and what he did; there was no doubt about it. Don knew from an early age that he'd be following in his father's footsteps. He'd been surrounded by police officers and detectives and everything having to do with the NYPD for as long as he could remember. But while he loved his job, he also enjoyed when he got a rare day off after a long period of endless shifts. It was especially nice when it was a decent afternoon in the city. Sometimes Don just liked being "normal" without the stigma that came with being apart of the police department. 

He entered the art gallery, spotting Emma at the front desk once he opened the door. She looked up, smiling brightly when she saw him. "Well hey, what brings you by?" She asked as she stood from her chair.

He grinned as he held up her phone. "This woke me up this morning after you'd left," He said as she reached out to take it out of his hand.

"Oh no! You're kidding! I swear, I thought I grabbed it before I left." She leaned up to kiss him quickly, "I'm so sorry Don."

"It's fine, really. Looked like it was your mom so you better call her back before she thinks you're ignoring her." He gave her another grin, "So you think you could sneak out for lunch?"

"Sure." She moved back towards the front desk, putting her phone into her bag. "Plus it's not like we get to have an actual meal together every day."

He laughed, nodding his head in agreement. It was sad but they didn't always get to eat together, especially as of late. "So what, are you paying?" He asked, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning.

"Oh I guess I can." Emma pulled on her jacket as she went to find Luisa who was near the back of the main room to let her know she was stepping out for a bit. "Here we are, going on our first date in I don't know how long and you're going to make me pay. I see how it is Don," She said as she came back towards her, buttoning up her jacket.

He grinned as he slung his arm around her shoulders as they walked out the door and out onto the busy sidewalk. "You know I'm just teasing."

"I was all prepared to pay too," She laughed as she leaned into him some as they pushed through the crowds making their way past them. "I'm glad you came by though. I feel like we haven't seen each other in forever."

"I know. Usually it's a quick hi and bye before going to sleep. I'm hoping things will slow down some, so maybe I can actually have somewhat of a life." The two of them stopped at the edge of the sidewalk, watching as traffic moved in front of them. "I'm kind of tired of things just being insane."

Emma could really only nod, knowing that things for him had been pretty crazy. They often only saw each other in the evenings or early mornings before they left their respective jobs. It wasn't the easiest way to live with someone but she'd been around long enough to know that his job went up and down. "I know. I hope things calm down some for your all's sake."

He gave her a smile before he kissed the top of her head. "I don't know why you put up with me sometimes. Not like I'm around enough so we can actually do things."

"Oh whatever." She shook her head as they started to cross the street once the light had changed. Other people were rushing past them, always in a hurry, but Emma was glad they actually had the time to just slowly walk through some of the city. "I know it's not like this all the time. I know you love your job and I love you so, no big deal."

"Aw, that was kind of cheesy Em."

"Yeah, yeah. You just bring the cheesiness out in me." She laughed, pointing towards a deli she went to sometimes for lunch. "They have good sandwiches, want to just eat there?"

He nodded, "Yeah sure. Think it'll be crowded?"

"Probably not too bad. It's worse right around noon time." She pulled the door open and led him inside. There were a few people in line in front of them but at least it would give them time to decide what they wanted. "So are you going to go back home and go back to sleep?"

Don had to admit that it _was _tempting to go home just to go back to sleep, after all it was his day off! He shrugged a shoulder as he looked over the menu board as they moved up in the line. "I don't know yet. I'll probably run by the store to pick up a few things, then head home."

"That sounds good. I wish I could do that."

"So come with me." He gave her a grin; it was pretty tempting to just make Emma come home with him so they could actually spend time together.

"I have to work!" She swatted at his arm, rolling her eyes as she stepped up to the counter. She came to the small deli mostly because it was convenient to the gallery and they had good food. Emma was also there so much that the girl behind the counter recognized her when she stepped forward. The girl smiled when she saw Emma, "I'm going to guess the usual?"

She felt her face heat up some, it was probably bad that Emma came in enough to have a _usual_ but she nodded. "Yes please. And he's with me as well."

Don laughed softly as he moved to give his order. The two of them stepped off to the side once they were done. "So you have a usual?"

"Apparently!" She groaned, covering her face with her hands. "That's just bad. I guess I need to change it up some when it comes to lunch."

"I can't talk too much, there are a few places near the precinct where they know me and what I order," He said watching as one of the people behind the counter worked on their sandwiches.

Emma grew quiet as she looked out the window that faced the street. In fact, she grew so quiet that Don eventually noticed. He nudged her with his arm, "What're you looking at?"

She shook her head, looking up at him. "Nothing really. I just saw this guy that's been in the gallery a couple of times; always saying his girlfriend wants him to buy something. It's just weird he keeps popping up."

He looked around, in the direction where she'd been looking before. "Who?"

The man behind the counter put a bag with their food inside in front of them and Emma grabbed it, shaking her head again. "I don't remember his name. It's probably nothing; he's looking to spend a lot of money is all."

He nodded, following her towards a table near the doors that led outside. "Are you sure? You looked a little weirded out."

She pasted a bright smile on her face, nodding as she dropped down in one of the seats, reaching in the bag to pull out their sandwiches. "I'm sure. No big deal, he's probably just headed to check out some more artwork."

Don sat across from her, reaching for his sandwich. "Alright. So are you sure you won't sneak off to spend the rest of the day with me?"

"It's tempting, believe me." She laughed, shaking her head. "I would if I could but I think Luisa might hate me if I bailed. But next time, I'm all yours."

"Okay. I'm going to hold you to that, I hope you know that."

"And I wouldn't have it any other way," She said with a smile. 


	98. Chapter 98

It was probably _really _bad but Don didn't get a chance to do much grocery shopping anymore, at least not with the way things had been going lately. The groceries usually fell to Emma whenever she had a chance to go on the weekends but even she had let it go for quite a few days since she'd been pretty busy as well. To be honest, he felt a little awkward as he pushed the cart down one aisle after another, glancing down at the list that Emma had started the day before. They were out of _everything_ it felt like. But he had the time and figured he needed something to do so he wouldn't get so damn bored to the point he'd actually start thinking about _work_.

He stopped in the middle of one aisle, glancing down at Emma's handwriting on the piece of paper before looking at the products on the shelf in front of him. The store was pretty empty, in fact he'd only seen a couple of people as he walked in, but that was probably because it was still early enough in the afternoon where most people were still at work. He grabbed a few things, tossing them into the cart before he moved on to the next thing.

Don's phone began to ring in the middle of him looking through the produce section. Sighing he pulled the cell phone from his pocket, hoping it wasn't anything to do with work for once, and leaned against the cart he was pushing. Glancing at the number, he was a little relieved to see that it was Danny. Although if it was Danny, he could be at work and there could be a problem. "Hey Messer."

"How come you're off today and I'm not? I sorta think that's not fair," He said over the line.

"Maybe because I've been working too damn much and was going to bang my head against a window if I didn't get a day off? And didn't you just have Tuesday off?" He asked.

Danny laughed, "Yeah I know. Just giving you a hard time. What're you doing?"

"Uh...grocery shopping?"

"Really? In all my years of knowing you, I don't know if I'd ever heard of you actually doing any sort of grocery shopping." Danny laughed again, "I don't know how I thought you _got _food but still."

"Yeah, yeah." Don started to push the cart towards the front of the store, heading for the registers. "Our fridge was pretty near empty and I figured I had the time so I might as well help out. Emma's been pretty busy too."

"Oh! That's why I was callin'; Lindsay keeps talking about going out to eat one evening or something. I can't remember what nights you're working but I'm off next Monday and she's got the early shift."

He was quiet as he tried to think of his schedule. "I think I could meet you all for dinner, I'll have to look when I get back to the apartment but I'm pretty sure I can. Let me check with Emma and I'll call you later?"

"Yeah sure. Just let me know. I guess I should get back to work or something. Tell Emma I said hi?"

Don laughed as he got in one of the shorter lines near the front of the store, "Quit hittin' on my girlfriend Messer."

"Hey, not my fault she likes them tall and colorblind," Danny said in a teasing tone.

He couldn't help but snort, trying not to draw too much attention to himself. Luckily there was just one woman in front of him and she didn't seem to be interested in his phone call in the least. "Get back to work already."

"Yeah yeah, later."

Don closed his phone and slipped it back into his pocket as the woman in front of him moved forward towards the cashier. At least the line was moving; the quicker he could get out of the store, the quicker he could get home.

* * *

She opened the door, kicking her shoes off as she went. Reaching back to close the door behind her, Emma let out a sigh and dropped her things by the door before moving to go find her boyfriend. It was suspiciously quiet but she shouldn't have been too surprised when she found him laid out on the couch asleep. Shaking her head with a smile, she walked back to the bedroom to change out of her work clothes. It was nice to be able to walk barefoot, especially once she'd "borrowed" one of Don's t-shirts and pulled it over her head. An old pair of sweatpants that'd probably seen better days was pulled over her legs and Emma was set for the night.

He was awake when she came back out although he still looked about half asleep as he rubbed at his face with one of his hands. Emma dropped down onto the couch next to him with a smile, "here I was going to let you sleep."

"I needed to wake up anyway. Did you just get home?" He asked as he leaned over, kissing her before he laid back.

"Mmhm," was her answer as she moved to curl up against him. Emma shifted enough to grab his arm and pull it around her shoulders causing Don to laugh a bit. "Did you get to the store?"

"Of course. I'm good for some things!"

Emma laughed as she closed her eyes; her day had been pretty long and she was just glad to be home. While she liked her job and it had its boring moments, sometimes she was just dead tired on her feet. "I was just asking! I think our fridge was nearing empty."

"It was pretty empty," He said in agreement. "Oh and Danny called. Said he wants us to go out to dinner with him and Linds next week. I didn't know if you had anything going on but he mentioned Monday."

"Yeah, that sounds like fun. It's probably been forever since I've seen Lindsay." She sighed, leaning up to kiss him before she slipped away from him. "Are you hungry? We should think about actually cooking something since we have food at the moment."

Don groaned, leaning back about as far as he could to watch her as she walked towards the kitchen. "You could just lay here with me for awhile, you know."

"I could." She laughed, glancing at him over her shoulder, "but I'm hungry. So get up and come help me Flack."

He huffed out a sigh but stood from the couch and followed behind her. "Fine. But you owe me."

I owe you?"

"Yeah." Don gave her a grin as he moved past her to look into the refrigerator, "you stole my shirt after all."


	99. Chapter 99

AN: So I'm horrible and I know it's been forever but! I am done with school :) and for the time being I'm not working a whole ton so I'm hoping to be able to update more often. Sorry for the delay between chapters! I hope to be better from now on.

* * *

She was running late when Monday rolled around, hurrying out of the subway at light speed. She knew she was late since both Lindsay and Danny had called to tell her so, although they weren't mad and were more joking than anything. Spotting Don out front of the restaurant they were meeting at, Emma slowed down and tried to make sure she didn't look like she'd just run what felt like thirty blocks. He smiled brightly when he saw her, "About time. I was beginning to think maybe you were going to stand me up!"

Laughing, Emma leaned up to kiss him quickly. "No, no. I almost missed my train though. I left work late, I'm sorry."

He shook his head, sliding an arm around her shoulders as he opened the door to lead them inside. "Not a big deal. I figured you were running behind or the train got delayed."

"Are Danny and Lindsay seated already?" She asked once they were inside, weaving through some of the people in the front of the restaurant.

"Yeah, I told them to go ahead and get a table before it got too crowded." He dropped behind her, leaving a hand on her lower back as they walked through the restaurant. "They're right back there," He said with a point over her shoulder.

She nodded once she spotted them and kept walking, waving when Lindsay looked up. "About time!" Danny exclaimed teasingly, complete with a grin.

"Shut it Messer, some of us have to work late," She said as she hit him playfully on the shoulder as she moved around to sit down next to Lindsay.

"Oh you act like we never have to work late." He gave her another grin before turning towards Don, "I ordered you a beer by the way."

Don gave a nod as he sat down. "Thanks. It's crowded up front already, it's probably a good thing we got here when we did."

Emma reached for the menu and started looking through it. Lindsay leaned over, "I ordered us both drinks by the way."

"Oh good. Sometimes I like beer but other times I need a good drink." She smiled, setting the menu on the table. "So how have things been going? I know Don's been busy so I can only imagine how busy you all have been."

"Crazy. I'm just glad we both got a night off for once. It'll give me a chance to relax a little bit." Lindsay gave a sigh, reaching up to push her hair back out of their face as all of their drinks arrived. She'd ordered her and Emma some pink, fruity looking drink that probably was going to be way too sweet but it was just what the two of them needed after a long day at work. Lindsay took a small sip at first, nodding her head some. "Oh okay, that's better than a beer right now. Things have just been so insane lately. I'm hoping we can wrap up some of these cases, and then maybe things won't be at such a fever pitch."

Emma nodded as she took a drink from the glass sitting in front of her. "This is very good." Full of tequila, but very good. "I hope things slow down for you all too, at least to a dull roar."

"Me too! So how has work been going?"

"Not bad, been working a few more hours but it hasn't been too bad." She shrugged a shoulder, "I've been doing some freelance work too but just whenever it comes along."

She smiled, "That's good though! You can't go wrong with anything freelance."

Emma opened her mouth to say something else but was interrupted by three cell phones going off nearly at the same time. She turned to look at Don, watching as he made a face and pulled out his cell phone while Danny and Lindsay did the same. Don immediately frowned and glanced at Emma and she just knew that it was something that meant that their night out was going to come to a quick end. Danny grumbled a bit under his breath as he stood up from the table, looking around for their waiter so that he could pay for their drinks. Don was on his phone for only a few seconds before he closed it and shoved it back into his pocket, standing up just as Danny received the bill from their waiter. Lindsay gave a sigh as her and Emma followed suit and stood up to leave. "This sucks," Lindsay said with a sigh. "Duty calls I guess."

"Must be pretty bad if you're all getting called in on your evening off," Emma smiled some as they moved to leave.

Danny and Lindsay walked ahead, leaving Don and Emma to follow behind them. "I want you to go back to the apartment, alright? And call me when you get there?" He said quietly so she would be the only one to really hear him.

Emma frowned instantly, looking up at him. "What? But why?"

"Will you do it, please?" He asked it, sighing a bit.

"Well of course but I'd like to know why." She reached out to grab his arm, stopping them in the entrance of the restaurant. "Don, is it _that_ bad?"

He reached up and rubbed a hand over his face before he nodded. "Yeah. I don't know, something's gone down and it's big enough that they're calling everyone in that they can. Just go home, call me when you get there. I might need you to bring me a change of clothes or something but I'll let you know."

She nodded then, figuring there was no need to ask anymore questions. He most likely wasn't going to answer anything when they were practically in the middle of a restaurant. He jerked out a nod and pushed open the door that led out to the street. Emma gave a sigh, waving to Danny and Lindsay as they got into his car. Don gave her a smile before he bent down, pressing a kiss against her mouth. "I'll make this up to you," He said and then he was gone, hurrying to the car. She was able to wave at all three of them before the car pulled into traffic and disappeared in with the other cars.

Emma stood there for a few more seconds before she turned and headed back towards the train station she'd come from originally. She hated to go home by herself and hated even more that their whole night had gotten cancelled just when it had gotten started but their jobs were almost 24/7, even when they had days off. She felt her phone vibrate from within her purse just before she went down the steps leading to the train. With a sigh she stopped and pulled it out, glancing at the number. She was a little surprised to see it was her work number, seeing as she'd been one of the last people to leave but she answered anyway. "Hello?"

"Emma? It's Luisa, I was wondering if you could come back by. I know you said you were going out or something after work but I need your help with some paperwork that can't wait."

She frowned, trying to think of what could be left over but there wasn't anything she could _really_ think of. "It can't wait until the morning?" She asked as she stepped out of the way so other people could get down into the station.

"No, Marianne wants it done tonight. Please? I'll even work your shift tomorrow."

Emma frowned deeper this time; Luisa didn't offer to work other people's shifts very often. She was usually a stickler for her own schedule. Something was definitely up and she didn't have a really good feeling about it. "Alright," She said with a sigh. "I've got to catch a train back so it might take me a few, will you be okay with waiting?"

"Yeah. Thanks Emma. I appreciate it."

The line went dead before she could say anything else and Emma sighed, closing her phone for a moment. She stood at the top of the stairs for a long moment before she opened her phone again and pushed in a couple of numbers. When the person on the other end of the line answered she said a few words before she hung up and headed down to catch her train.


	100. Chapter 100

AN: So I condensed two chapters into one big long one, to try to make up for me being a complete dork in updating. Good news is I've got ch. 101 started so I'm going to try to get it finished soon!

* * *

Emma tried to be as patient as possible, even though it was hard to just stand a couple of doors down from where Luisa was. But it was hard when she just felt like something was horribly wrong. Sure, she had weird and bad feelings before but nothing had ever been that strong before. She'd always heard to listen to your intuition but it had never seemed so important up until that point. Glancing at the time on her phone that she was gripping in her hand, she knew she'd been out there much longer than it would've normally had taken her to get there from the subway station she'd been at. Finally though, Emma was just too antsy to stand around and wait any longer. Any longer and it was going to be obvious to Luisa that something was going on.

Holding onto her purse with one hand and trying to look completely normal, Emma walked to the gallery and pulled on the door. She was sort of surprised to find it locked but took out her keys and unlocked the door, pulling the door open and stepping inside. The first thing she noticed was that it was dark except for the light coming in from the door that led outside, but even that was fading. She took a couple of steps inside, surprised at how loud her shoes sounded on the floor. It was creepy, to say the least. "Luisa?" She called out, listening for any noises but everything was silent.

She called out her co-worker's name again but wasn't too surprised when there wasn't an answer. Her phone vibrated in her hand, nearly causing Emma to drop it. With a glance at the number on the screen she hit the button to answer it but was distracted when she saw a guy come out from the direction of the backroom. Quickly shoving the phone into her purse, she stayed near the door. "Who are you? And where's Luisa?"

The man stayed in the shadows enough to stay hidden for the most part, although Emma could tell that it was the same guy she'd seen a few times before. "I sent her home. I didn't need her anymore," He answered simply. "Why don't you come back this way? You and I need to have a little talk."

She swallowed hard and thought of just turning around and running out the door but she spotted the gun the guy was holding in one of his hands and knew that probably wasn't the best idea. Taking a few steps forward Emma could really only hope that the person on the other end of her phone could hear what was going on. "So the whole buying art for your girlfriend thing was a joke?" She asked once she was closer. It was getting darker as the minutes ticked by and she really didn't like the thought of being alone in the dark with some guy with a gun.

"I had to talk to you somehow." He reached out then, faster than Emma could see and grabbed her by the wrist. "The others weren't anything like you. They weren't smart or talented and they just didn't match up to you."

She yelped as she was tugged forward, glancing back as her purse fell to the floor. Pulling back by instinct didn't get her anywhere as he tightened his grip on her wrist and pulled her towards the backroom. "What...what do you mean? You mean you killed those other women just because of me?"

"Oh no." He shrugged as he shoved her forward; watching as Emma nearly tumbled over in her shoes but caught herself before she fell on to the floor. "The others were good for some things. But you're special."

Emma straightened herself up, gasping a little when she realized how close he was to her and quickly backed up to put a little bit of space in between them. She thought that the more space there was between them, the better. "What are you going to do to me?"

He smiled then, waving the gun around some as he walked towards her. "I haven't decided yet. I thought we could talk, have a little fun." Reaching out, he grabbed her wrist again and squeezed as he yanked Emma forward so he was right in her face, "your little boyfriend's not going to be interrupting us is he?"

"No...No he's not." She shook her head quickly, although she was hoping that any second the cops would burst in through the doors. But she knew she needed to get him to believe her. "No, he...he got called in for something."

He grinned widely, "Ah yes. I guess they must have found the other girl by now. She was cute. Smart too. But too mouthy. I had to get rid of her as well."

* * *

_'Another body, another brunette'_ was all Don could think as the CSI team along with a team of police officers secured the latest crime scene and worked to collect evidence. He hadn't even had to look to know that she was another Emma clone. The woman looked enough like Emma to make his stomach turn and he moved about as far away as he could while still doing his job. He checked his phone from time to time but hadn't heard from her yet, something that was beginning to eat at him just because he'd told her to do something and really thought she would've checked in by then. He nearly jumped out of his skin though when his phone finally did ring, although it wasn't his girlfriend on the other end. Instead it was Stella.

Within a few minutes he and Danny were headed to an address a couple of blocks from the latest crime scene; an old rundown apartment building that was scheduled to be demolished in the coming days. Hawkes and Stella met the two of them outside of the apartment number they'd been given. Stella's mouth was set in a thin line while Hawkes just looked completely freaked out, and it took quite a lot to freak him out. "What is it?" Don asked almost immediately, he wasn't sure if he could deal with another body on top of the one already found.

"We thought you'd want to see this..." Stella reached back and pushed the door open, leading the way inside the small apartment.

It smelled like mold, the only light coming from a couple of bulbs hanging from the ceiling. There were a couple of pieces of furniture inside that looked like they'd all seen better days, mostly just an old couch and a loveseat with a couple of tables lying around haphazardly. Their footsteps were fairly quiet as Stella led the way back to the second room, stepping off to the side as she turned on the light. Another bulb hanging from the ceiling engulfed the room in a dingy yellow light but it was enough to see the pictures that took up nearly both walls. Don sucked in a breath and thought for a second that he might get sick right there on the spot. Emma was in every single one of the pictures. Emma coming and going from their apartment. Emma leaving work. Emma and Danny in Central Park. Emma and he out getting dinner. Emma by herself and Emma with her friends. "He's stalking her?" He heard Danny nearly growl out.

"The others were stalked too," Hawkes said from behind him somewhere.

The other wall had other pictures of some of the other women Don recognized vaguely from the various crime scenes. They'd all been followed but Emma's seemed to be the most frequent and most detailed. Don spun around on his heel and pulled his phone out of his pocket. "She was supposed to call me when she got home," He said by way of explanation as he pushed a couple of numbers into the phone.

Everyone was quiet as they could hear the ringing from the other end. Don almost let out a sigh of relief when it was picked up and he opened his mouth to say something to Emma but stopped. He frowned and looked around at the others. "She's talking to someone," He muttered almost to himself.

"You said she went home, right?" Stella asked.

"Yeah I told her to go right home and to call me when she got there." He sighed but kept the phone pressed to his ear, "It sounds like she dropped her phone in something. But I can hear a man's voice."

"Would she have gone anywhere else?" Stella was pulling her own phone from her pocket, dialing a number Don couldn't see. "I'll get Adam to track her phone number, see if we can get a location."

"You don't think..." Danny started but he shook his head, not even wanting to say it out loud.

Don could just shrug as he paced around the small room, trying to hear bits and pieces of the conversation. _'At least she's still alive' _He thought as he rubbed at his forehead with his free hand, ignoring the voice in the back of his head that kept repeating _'at least she's still alive __**for now**__.'_ He let out a low growl when he heard whatever the phone had been in fall onto what had to be the ground, followed by Emma crying out. He looked around the room as everyone was watching him and shook his head, "I think she dropped the phone. I can't hear anything else."

"Adam's trying to locate where her signal's coming from," Stella said as she covered the mouthpiece on her phone. "But Adam said that Mac told him she called about twenty minutes ago. And he headed out not too much longer after that."

"What? Why would she call Mac?"

She shrugged, "I'm not for sure but Adam said she wanted Mac to check out something going on at her workplace?"

"Is that where her signal's coming from? It'd be too obvious if he wanted to get to her at home, right?" Danny said.

Hawkes nodded, "That would make more sense. He'd have a better chance of getting to her somewhere besides your all's apartment."

Stella's eyes lit up after a moment and she thanked Adam quickly before closing her phone. "Adam said her signal's coming from the gallery. He's putting a call into Mac right now; he should have a couple of officers with him as it is. Mac will get everyone he can over there as fast as he can."

Don was already moving for the front door of the apartment, ignoring Danny as he hurried to catch up to him. Danny reached out, grabbing a hold of his arm. "Flack wait a minute, you can't go running over there..."

"I can't? She's not going to be his next victim Danny!" He growled out, pulling his arm free.

Danny shook his head as the two of them headed out into the New York night, hurrying to get to the driver's side of the car before Don did. "She's not going to be, you're right. But we're not going to go over there so you can try to be some big hero. You don't want her to get hurt, do you?"

"You know I don't. But who knows what the hell he's doing to her right now. Give me the damn keys."

Danny narrowed his eyes at his friend and didn't say anything as he got into the driver's side of the car. Don hesitated for only a second before he was getting into the passenger side. Both of them listened as the call went out over the radio and Don felt a bit of the tension leave his chest. "We're going to get her out of this just fine," Danny said as he started the car and headed off in the direction of the address. Don really hoped that he was right.

* * *

She kept trying to catch a glimpse of the door, to see if she could see anything but it was partially blocked from where she was. Plus Emma didn't want to make any sudden movements, just in case. Mostly she just wished _someone_ knew where the hell she was so this could just be over. He was pacing in front of her mumbling under his breath, the gun in plain view. She started to chew on her bottom lip, a nervous habit she'd had for years, while she watched him carefully. "Did you really send Luisa home?" She asked after the silence had dragged on for what felt like forever.

"Yeah. No point in keeping her around," He replied.

So there was at least one person out there that knew what this guy looked like and knew he was completely crazy. That gave her a little bit of hope. "So what do you want with me?" She finally asked.

He stepped out of the backroom and looked around some before he turned back towards her. "I haven't decided yet," He grinned some, waving the gun around. "Do you know what I did to the others?"

Emma took a step back out of instinct but shook her head. "No. Not really." She didn't really _want _to know either but she figured as long as she could keep him talking then it would lessen the chances of him doing something to her anytime soon.

The phone ringing from out front caused her to jump, startled and he looked over his shoulder. "Well, looks like someone's looking for you huh?"

She swallowed hard, "I should go get it?"

He shrugged a shoulder before stepping to the side and waving for her to walk past him. "Sure."

Emma took a couple of steps forward, yelping when he reached out and pulled her up against him. "And if you say anything to whoever is on the other end of the line that leads them to think that you're not here working late then you're going to pay," He said lowly in her ear.

She nodded, pulling her arm from his grasp and walked over to the phone. She was about to pick up the phone when she realized the guy had his gun pointing right at her. Looking away from him she grabbed the phone, "Hello?"

"Emma? Are you okay?"

She could see a couple of NYPD cars from where she was but she couldn't really see _anyone_ but it was almost enough just to hear Flack's voice on the other end. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine," She said as she realized that her hands were shaking. Out of the corner of her eye she could see him still holding the gun in her direction, but he was staying out of the outside for the most part.

"Are you the only one in there?"

"Uh yeah. Is Luisa really okay?"

"Yeah she's fine, she called the cops not too long after she was let go. She gave us a description of the guy." He let out a soft sigh and his voice got considerably quieter, "I wish you had just gone home like I told you too."

"I know." She could hear the man's footsteps getting closer but Emma didn't turn towards him, "I should've but I didn't and now we're...here I guess." What else _could_ she say? She'd gone there on her own and knew that something was wrong, it'd been her choice.

"He make any demands yet?" He asked on the other end of the phone, going right back into detective mode.

"Uh...no." She glanced over her shoulder, not too awfully surprised to find the man about two feet from her with the gun still on her. Covering the mouthpiece she asked, "Do you have any demands?"

"A van would be nice." He lowered the gun a little bit as he grinned at her, "would make it easy to get away with you."

Emma jerked out a nod before uncovering the phone, "He um...he wants a van. So we can leave."

"What, he plannin' on running off to Vegas with you?" Don snorted on the other end, "Tell him I'll work on it. We'll be calling to check in, in ten minutes. We'll get you out of there soon. Just...take care of yourself okay?"

She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat, turning away from the guy. "Don?"

"Yeah Em?"

"I...you know."

"I know. Keep your wits about you. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Trust me."

The line went dead before she could say anything else, glancing over at the base of the phone where the man had pushed the button to force the line to hang up. Sighing inwardly, she put the phone back into the cradle before putting some distance in between them. "They're going to work on the van. They said they'd call back in ten minutes."

He nodded, waving the gun at her. "Fine. Go back there. I don't want you getting any ideas."

Emma could do little more than nod herself and then walk to where he pointed; hoping Don was going to be able to keep his word.


	101. Chapter 101

Minutes felt like hours as they ticked by, the light from outside growing darker and darker as time passed. Sure enough the phone rang ten minutes after the first call but Emma was only on it long enough to hear Don's voice before the man hung the phone up. He pointed her to the back room again, seeming to get more agitated as the minutes went by. "Anyone ever told you that your boyfriend's annoying?" He complained as he pushed her down onto the floor.

Emma flinched a bit as she shifted to sit on the floor better. He kept waving the gun around, which wasn't exactly comforting to her. "He's not annoying," She said a bit defensively but then Emma decided that it was probably best to keep her mouth shut. He _did_ have a gun, after all. She looked up at him as he paced around in front of her. "So what now?" She asked after a long moment of silence.

"I'm trying to figure out a way to get out of here." He sighed, looking over at her. "We need to get out of here. I don't like _them_ being out there."

She chewed on the inside of her mouth, seeming to grow more nervous as the seconds passed by. She knew that she couldn't leave with him; that would probably be the worst thing because then no one would have a clue as to where he'd be taking her. But she knew the longer they were inside the same building, the more agitated he'd get. He had to know the cops weren't going to get him a van or anything to get out of the building. He had to know they were ready to fire as soon as someone had a clear shot.

He took a couple of steps out of the back room, glancing around for a moment before coming back inside. "There is a way out from here, right?"

She nodded as he waited for an answer. "Yeah. But you know if you step outside they'll shoot you," She hurried to say. Honestly the thought of leaving with him was enough to make her squirm.

"I'm willing to take that chance." He shrugged a shoulder and motioned for her to get up, "We need to get out of here. We need to be _alone_."

"And what if I don't want to be alone with _you_?" Emma retorted before she could stop herself.

He smiled and cocked the gun, pointing it at her. "I don't think you have much of a choice Emma," He said.

* * *

Don couldn't help the extreme annoyance radiating out of him as he watched the police officer on the phone, listening to it ring and ring inside of the gallery. It wasn't a good thing that either the man or Emma weren't answering. It was making him antsy. It was making him worry and he was trying his best not to just barge in there with guns blazing. Mac and Stella were both somewhere in the background but he wasn't really paying attention to anyone. He wasn't paying attention to much else besides staring down the uniformed officer and the closed doors of the gallery. There had been no movement and no answer of the phone inside for quite some time and he didn't have a good feeling, at all.

He jerked his head to the side when he heard the message over the radios: "There's movement from the back of the building."

He looked around quickly, meeting the obviously worried eyes of Danny. He pushed through a couple of people, already reaching for his gun as he moved towards Danny. "He's going to take her out the back, you know what he's going to do next," He said.

"Don there's a guy up on the roof back there." Danny grabbed a hold of Don's arm, shaking his head quickly. "If you go running back there, you know it could just make it all worse."

"I can't just stand here," He said as he pulled his arm out of Danny's grasp but he'd at least stopped moving. He could hear orders being given over the radio but it all sounded garbled and too quick for him to really translate at the moment.

Danny opened his mouth to say something but it got lost in the sound of a shot firing echoing off the buildings around them. Chaos erupted around them with radios blaring and people hurrying in the direction of where the sound had come from. Don couldn't ignore the feeling of complete dread churning in his stomach or how cold he felt all of a sudden. He'd been in he didn't know how many altercations and instances with 'the bad guy' but this was totally different. Sure, he did everything he could to help save lives and all of that but he wasn't really all that sure what he'd do if the person on the other end of that bullet was his girlfriend.

It seemed to take eons to get to the entrance of the alley with everyone else in the way, plus it just seemed like time had slowed down to a complete crawl. He was aware of people around him, he was aware of Danny on his right side. He spotted Mac and Stella ahead of him, they were easy to see. But he just wasn't getting any of it, not until he could see Emma and could see that she was okay. Images filled his mind of all the victims that guy had killed and the thought that Emma _could_ be one of them pretty much made him want to throw up. Don became aware that he was repeating a prayer in his mind over and over, hoping upon hope that she was going to appear in the crowd the next time he blinked.

Mac stopped Don's forward momentum with a strong hand in the center of his chest. "Don," was all he said.

"Is she?"

He shook his head, "It's not her."

Not her? Not her _what_? He was pretty sure that meant she was okay. And if she was okay then that meant that he needed to get to her right then. "What?" He finally was able to get out.

"Sniper on the roof managed to get a shot off as they came out of the back door," Mac said as he tugged on Don's arm, pulling him in another direction. "He went down with one shot. EMT's are checking Emma out and are going to transport her to the hospital just to be on the safe side."

"She saw it...didn't she?"

"I haven't seen her yet Don, but she's probably pretty shaken up. Once I knew what was going on I figured you'd want to go with her."

He jerked out a nod, his eyes scanning the scene for any sight of her. Things seemed to slow down again as he finally saw her, seated in the back of an ambulance as a couple of EMT's worked around her. It was then he let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. He walked quickly, not caring if he ran over anyone that happened to get in his way. Emma looked up and met his eyes and then she was moving towards him, brushing off the female EMT who tried to stop her. And then she was _there_ in front of him and then she was clinging to him for dear life.

And Don couldn't help but cling right back.


	102. Chapter 102

He watched from the hallway as nurses worked around her inside the sterile, white hospital room. Activity was going on around him but honestly, Don couldn't seem to hear any of it. He was too focused on staring at _her_. He'd wanted to stay with her when they took her back to look her over, but he'd been kicked out by a grumpy nurse. Luckily Stella was inside with her but still, Don didn't want to be too far out of earshot if he could help it. He turned when he heard his name; not all that surprised to find Mac approaching him. "How is she Don?"

He shrugged a shoulder, looking down at his feet for a moment. "I...don't really know. Stella's inside with her while they check her out."

"I'm sure she'll be just fine," Mac said. "Did she say anything about what happened?"

He shook his head, "No. She hasn't said anything actually, at least not around me. Mac what happened out there?"

"The snipers are still giving their statements but as far as we can tell..." Mac sighed as he glanced around Don into the room, "He was armed when he brought her out of the back door. The sniper didn't have a good shot at first but the one who eventually took the shot said he thought Emma spotted him. She moved enough out of the way at the last second and he took the shot."

Don rubbed a hand over his face. "So she saw everything?"

Mac hesitated before he answered, "pretty much."

And Don _knew _she had; only because she'd been back there when it'd happened and there was really no way she couldn't have seen every morbid second. A part of him had just hoped that maybe she hadn't. Because while he'd seen a lot in his years with the department and some things had become routine and didn't affect him the way they had at first, he wasn't so sure that Emma could forget what had happened. At least not now when it was still new and fresh in her mind. In fact, he was pretty sure he could feel Emma completely shutting down from where he was standing in the hallway. "Are you going to want to talk to her tonight?" Don asked after a moment.

"Not unless she's up to talking, we can do it later."

He nodded, offering Mac a small smile. "I'd really appreciate it if you could wait."

"Of course." He reached out, putting a hand on Don's shoulder. "She got through this Don and she's going to be fine. It might take some time though."

He opened his mouth to reply but closed it when he heard the door opening, turning to see Stella coming out towards them. "How is she? Can I go see her?" Don started rambling off questions but stopped himself before he could keep going.

"She's...in shock." She shrugged a shoulder, "She didn't say much to me but she's okay otherwise. But yeah you can go in; I think we've gotten enough for now."

Don nodded, moving towards the door. "I uh...thank you. For being in there with her Stel."

"It's nothing, trust me."

* * *

Emma looked small in the hospital grade bed, skin white against the sheets and walls. He let the door close softly behind him and kept his steps slow and careful, half afraid he was going to startle her. But she didn't move and didn't even glance in his direction. The only way he could tell she was even _alive_ was that she was blinking every couple of seconds as he sat down next to the bed in the chair he figured Stella had been in. "Emma?" He said her name carefully, watching her as she flinched as if he'd just yelled her name.

It took her a long moment before she looked over, keeping her eyes down but he followed her eye line to where she was looking at his hands. He reached over, taking one of her small hands in his. Her skin was cold and clammy and more than anything he wanted to take it all away and make her feel better but he wasn't sure how. "How you feelin' Em?" He asked as he scooted the chair closer, trying to keep his movements and any sound quiet.

It took her another long moment before she spoke, whispering out an "okay" that could barely be heard in the silence of the room. Her fingers tightened around his though and she finally met his eyes, still looking a little scared and almost like a caged animal backed into a corner.

"You need anything?"

She shook her head, dropping her eyes again. "No. I'm good," came her stilted reply.

"Alright." He leaned over, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Are you leaving?" She asked, her voice rising in volume suddenly. She once again looked like an animal wanting to make a run for it.

Don shook his head as he sat back. "No," He said. "I wasn't planning on it."

"Okay." His answer seemed to placate her but she pulled her hand out of his, crossing her arms in front of him.

"I won't leave unless they have to do tests or something on you. Or you kick me out." He smiled some, "then you'll just have to deal with me standing outside your door until you forgive me and let me back in."

Emma cracked a small smile, looking down at her lap. "Can I go home soon?" She asked.

"I don't know but I'll find out."

She nodded as she settled back against the pillows, closing her eyes. "I'm tired now Don," Emma mumbled.

"Get some rest. I'll be here when you wake up."

She nodded again. "Will you call my mom? Let her know what happened and that I'm okay."

"Of course."

"Thanks..." She trailed off then but Don didn't attempt to keep her awake any longer, figuring that the adrenaline and everything else was finally wearing off. All Don did was settle back in the chair he was in, preparing to wait until she woke up again.


End file.
